Only One in Twenty Japanese Would Choose Renewable Energy Exclusively

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On June 8, the Mizuho Information & Research Institute of Japan released the results of a survey of the attitudes of consumers in their choice of a retail power company. The survey was conducted nationwide in anticipation of the start of electricity deregulation in the country.

The survey was conducted in February 2015 among more than 3,500 men and women aged 20 or older. The percentage of consumers who said that they would exclusively choose electricity generated from renewable energies, even if it meant higher expenses, was just 5%.

Asked what they considered the most important factors in selecting their power company, about 80% of the survey respondents cited the stability of power supply, while some 70% said lower rates, and approximately 60% mentioned power sources that are environmentally friendly. Opinions were mixed concerning the desire whether or not to use electricity generated by nuclear power.

As for changing their current power company, about 83% of the respondents indicated they would do so if electricity rates became lower as a result. More specifically, some 19% said they would change if rates were reduced by only 5%, while 66% would consider doing so if a 20% reduction in rates was effected.

As mentioned above, the percentage of survey respondents saying that they would exclusively want to use electric power generated from renewable energies, even if it meant higher costs, was only 5%. As for electricity from nuclear power, 67% said that they would use it if rates were the same as or cheaper than now, while 32% said that they would not use it at all no matter the cost.