Raising public support is going to be a major driver for the sustained growth of renewables this year.
We need public opinion on our side, because 2013 will be marked by tough market conditions for wind and solar, as well as intense national and international energy-policy negotiations.
Support for green energy is starting to fade due to the financial pressures on governments. That has caused a dramatic shake-out, especially in the PV industry. For many companies, the share of the pie has been trimmed to the point of bankruptcy.
So the market needs to grow faster, and increasing public support for renewables is one way to help do this. Bolder, broader public-awareness campaigns, co-ordinated by our industry associations, are needed to make a real impact.
Campaigns that aim to change public perception must be ambitious, and have significant budgets if we want to play the game seriously.
These campaigns can feature traditional marketing activities such as advertising, editorial contributions, digital content and sponsoring.
But for the smart marketer, the sky is the limit. Out-of-the-box thinking and creativity are the best weapons.
One striking example is the tremendous success of the Algerian government’s Environment Train. An exhibition about environmental issues was fitted in a painted train that travelled across Algeria. This raised awareness of green issues and generated lots of media attention.
Renewables campaigns need to offer something beyond the basic slogans if they want to maintain credibility. Most renewables messages have focused on creating a sense of urgency about climate change.
However, we can no longer count on global warming to fire up the engine of renewables growth — maybe because the human brain doesn’t seem to respond to such distant threats.
More alarmingly, our industry is still perceived by too many people as an infant whose survival depends on being regularly fed subsidies.
And don’t think we can rely on the sceptical mainstream media to get our message across. It’s time to talk directly to the public and set the record straight.
Changing people’s perceptions, attitude and behaviour takes considerable know-how, time and investment. Only broad, long-lasting, professionally crafted campaigns can reach into and across societies.
The challenge is great. The rewards will be greater.

Originally published on Recharge News by Jonathan Collings