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Abstract
Renewable energy policies and adoption of new renewable energy technologies in different states of the USA are not uniform. The factors affecting the trends in adopting electrical energy generation using sustainable resources: wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass as well as registered all electric vehicles in 50 states and district of Columbia in the USA was analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. Eight contributing factors: percentages of high school graduates; college graduates; total population; land area; percentage of water covered area; average annual income and registered democrats in the state were selected as predictor variables. Among eight factors considered, percentage of registered democrats was found as the most influencing factor (p = 0.00543) determining the renewable electrical energy adoption. The transition to all electric cars strongly co-related to higher average annual income of the population (p = 0.00141). In conclusion, an aggressive education campaign by environmentalist and pro-sustainability groups may help in de-coupling the energy and environment policies in the USA from political ideologies in order to achieve a more sustainable future. Factors Affecting Sustainable Energy Technology Adoption Policies of 50 States and District of Columbia in the USA
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1 University of Utah at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, USA (GRID:grid.223827.e) (ISNI:0000 0001 2193 0096)
2 Prairie View A&M University, Department of Chemistry, Prairie View, USA (GRID:grid.262103.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 3986)
3 Prairie View A&M University, Department of Chemistry, Prairie View, USA (GRID:grid.262103.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 3986); Prairie View A&M University, Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Prairie View, USA (GRID:grid.262103.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 3986)