Poll shows strong support for renewable investment
Published 18 May 2021
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Renewable energy should be the main priority for green investment, according to a new poll.
YouGov, on behalf of RenewableUK, asked a weighted sample of 1,700 people how investment should be prioritised across 12 sectors seen as key to delivering net zero.
Besides renewable energy, these included electric vehicles, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and green aviation.
Just under half (45 per cent) of the survey’s respondents identified renewable energy as their top green investment priority, five times higher than the next highest ranked sector.
The level of support for prioritising renewable energy among those who live within five miles of an onshore windfarm was higher (49 per cent) than those who do not (46 per cent).
The survey also showed that support for building onshore windfarms remains high at 70 per cent, reflecting polling carried out by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with the level exactly the same for those living within five miles of a windfarm.
In addition, 33 per cent of those surveyed say they have a more positive opinion of onshore wind than they did five years ago.
This more favourable sentiment was stronger amongst Conservative voters, (36 per cent), people over 65 (37 per cent), 18 to 24-year-olds (36 per cent) and those who live within five miles of a windfarm (40 per cent).
Melanie Onn, deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, hailed the figures as showing “overwhelming” public support for the government to prioritise green investment in renewable energy.
She said: “The popularity of this technology is sky-high, with a third of the country saying they like onshore wind more than they did five years ago.
“We’re urging ministers to recognise this wave of public support for renewables by maximising investment in the UK’s ‘shovel ready’ clean energy projects in the next round of CfD (contract for difference) auctions and setting ambitious long-term targets for onshore wind, floating wind, renewable hydrogen and marine energy.”
Earlier this month, RenewableUK urged the government to set a new target to double onshore wind installations to 30GW by 2030 in order to help the UK meets it target of cutting emissions to 78 per cent of 1990 levels by 2035.
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