With the coming of the 21st century in the U.S., reliance on fossil fuels, in particular coal, decreased while renewable energy sources increased their contribution to the U.S. energy portfolio. The factors behind this emerging trend toward a decreased reliance on coal are many, including economic as well as policy goals. Nationally, support is strong for the general transition to renewable energy, but this support can decline at the local level particularly if renewable energy is perceived as have negative local economic impact, impeding implementation. However, some look at this as part of a transition to a new economic power structure. Due to a lack of research on identifying public preferences for energy production in the United States, the authors conducted a national survey to identify drivers and barriers of acceptance of different types of electrical energy production. Results show that nationally, most Americans support decarbonization of the energy sector, especially if wind and solar photovoltaic facilities are located at least 5 miles (8 km) from their home. This is also supported by strong preference for an energy mix containing a larger percentage of energy produced by renewable energy sources. Environmental sustainability, economic viability, and social acceptance were of roughly equal importance in pairwise comparison of policy objectives. Results also demonstrate the importance of analyzing socio-demographic characteristic's role regarding acceptance of renewable energy sources. The information is useful for policy makers to better implement renewable energy development and improve acceptance of such technologies at the local level.

随着21世纪美国的到来，对化石燃料（尤其是煤炭）的依赖减少了，而可再生能源却增加了它们对美国能源组合的贡献。减少对煤炭依赖的这种新兴趋势背后的因素很多，包括经济和政策目标。在全国范围内，对于向可再生能源的总体过渡提供了有力的支持，但是这种支持在地方一级可能会下降，特别是如果认为可再生能源对当地经济产生负面影响，从而阻碍了实施。但是，有人认为这是向新的经济实力结构过渡的一部分。由于缺乏有关确定美国能源生产的公共偏好的研究，作者进行了一项全国调查，以查明接受不同类型电能生产的驱动因素和障碍。结果表明，在全国范围内，大多数美国人支持能源部门的脱碳，尤其是如果风能和太阳能光伏设施位于距家至少5英里（8公里）的地方。强烈偏爱包含较大比例的可再生能源产生的能源的能源组合也支持了这一点。在政策目标的成对比较中，环境的可持续性，经济生存能力和社会接受度几乎具有同等的重要性。结果还证明了分析社会人口特征在接受可再生能源方面的作用的重要性。