The new government statistics on energy and climate change has shown that 79% of UK public supports the use of tidal and wave energy technologies.
New data from the UK government’s Energy and Climate Change Public Attitudes Tracker shows that public support for renewable energy technologies remains high and continues to grow, with 82% of respondents expressing support – up from 77% from the previous poll.
Only 3% of the public is opposed to the deployment of renewable energy, with 1% strongly opposed.
Public support for wave and tidal energy stands at 79%, which is also the case for offshore wind.
The use of onshore wind for power generation was backed by 74% respondents, while solar energy got 84% of public support.
The support for renewable energy technologies contrasts sharply with support for other technologies, as 33% of the public is reported to support nuclear energy, with 25% opposed. Only 13% of the public supports the extraction of shale gas, with 36% opposed, according to the government data.
Commenting on the poll results, Emma Pinchbeck , RenewableUK’s Executive Director, said: “The popularity of offshore wind and marine renewables remain sky high as they are breathing new life into coastal communities and building vibrant supply chains up and down the country. An overwhelming 82% of people support developing all types of renewable energy – so when it comes to reaching out to voters, renewable energy is an issue that matters.”
James Court , Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Renewable Energy Association (REA), said: “Following an extraordinary year for the industry, seeing record highs for generation and dramatic falls in prices, it is not surprising that public support for renewables has risen and is the most popular form of generation.
“We now need the government to see what the public have seen and take the brake off this sector. Cheap forms of power such as onshore wind, solar, and biomass remain blocked to market whilst nuclear, diesel, and gas are still receiving government support.”
The data was collected between September 27 – October 1, 2017 using face-to-face in-home interviews with a representative sample of 2,105 households in the UK.