A new study by EPIcenter affiliate Jamal Mamkhezri examines how public preferences for solar‑energy policy have shifted over a six‑year period in New Mexico, offering one of the first long‑term repeated cross‑section analyses of willingness to pay (WTP) for renewable‑energy attributes. Using identical discrete choice experiment (DCE) tasks from surveys conducted in 2017 and 2023, Professor Mamkhezri evaluates how households value increases in Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), changes in rooftop versus utility‑scale solar shares, monthly credit‑banking rules, water usage in electricity generation, and smart‑meter information delivery options.

Across more than 1,100 combined respondents, the study uncovers selective temporal stability in energy preferences. Some attributes—such as support for higher RPS targets, reductions in water use, and preferences for online smart‑meter information—remain relatively stable over time. In contrast, others shift considerably: WTP for increasing the rooftop solar share declines by more than 40%, while WTP to protect monthly credit banking rises more than 200%, reflecting heightened awareness of net‑metering debates and rapid growth in rooftop solar adoption.

Importantly, the study reveals that environmental attitudes, measured through New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scores, once strongly predicted preferences for rooftop solar and smart‑meter technologies in 2017, but these relationships fade or even reverse by 2023—signaling a shift as these technologies transition from niche, identity‑driven goods to mainstream infrastructure. Meanwhile, environmental attitudes continue to robustly shape preferences for RPS increases and water‑use reductions in both survey waves.

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