The latest public attitude tracker
released by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change showed
that 75% of the population supports the use of renewables. Only 4%
oppose them. The government survey did not contain specific questions
about biomass, utility-scale solar farms, and all onshore wind farms —
all of whose subsidies were recently slashed. So Good Energy
hired its own pollsters.
They found that 4% of the British public are
opposed to solar farms and 8% to onshore wind projects. This appears to
be a pattern, from the continent whose population is most exposed to
wind and solar power. Europeans keep saying “Yes” to renewables.European Support For Renewables
According to a Eurobarometer, released last year:
- 90% of Europeans think “climate change is a very serious or a serious problem.”
- 90% of Europeans think “it is important for their government to set targets to increase the amount of renewable energy used by 2030.”
- 80% of Europeans agree “fighting climate change benefits the EU economy and jobs.”
Some
of the most interesting statistics came from the nations leading Europe
into the energy transition. 93% of the Danish respondents agreed it is
important, or very important, that their government “sets targets to
increase the amount of renewable energy used, such as wind or solar
power, by 2030?” The numbers were 93% in Spain, 88% in the UK, and 87%
in Germany. The percentages of respondents who thought this was “not
very important” were, respectively, 6%, 4%, 10% and 11%.
These numbers are similar to those from a poll taken in Germany
earlier this year. Only 11% of the respondents described Energiewende
as “bad, or very bad;” 57% said it is “very good” or “good.”
Expressions of support tended to be more qualified. Though 92% of the
respondents agreed with Energiewende in principle, almost 2/3 of those
felt “major corrections” are needed. This primarily focused on the cost
to consumers and 88% agreed with the statement “I am generally in favour
of the principles behind the Energiewende, but the costs for private
consumers are too high.” If similar questions had been asked on the Europe-wide survey, they probably would have encountered similar qualifications.
Conclusion
Overall, Europeans support the shift to a more renewable economy. As Will Vooght, head of innovation for Good Energy, said of his
company’s poll, “These stats indicate that opposition to renewable
remains consistently low, showing it’s a vocal minority dictating (UK)
policy – flying in the face of public support.”
This remains true as long as the energy transition is not too costly, in economic or personal terms. In the meantime, Sonia Dunlop, spokesperson for the Solar Trade
Association, is correct in insisting, “the (UK) Government take solar’s
popularity into account when making key policy decisions on support for
this sunshine technology over the next few months.”
Governments of nations that have yet to make substantial investments
in renewables should also pay attention. The world’s economy is shifting
to a more renewable-based one. If these technologies are this popular
in the nations leading this development, they merit closer attention.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/08/09/europeans-keep-saying-yes-renewables/
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