Study suggests people are in favour of wind energy in UK
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A new study into the UK public’s perception of wind energy suggests that people are favourably inclined toward it.
New research by Ipsos MORI for RenewableUK, the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries, shows that 67 per cent of people are in favour of the use of wind power in the UK, with 28 per cent ‘strongly in favour’.
One in 12 (eight per cent) are opposed — with only three per cent suggesting that they are ‘strongly opposed’.
According to RenewableUK, these figures provide more evidence to show that while there is a small but vocal anti-wind energy contingent, a majority of the public support the UK’s abundant wind resources.
‘It’s clear that the majority of those surveyed are supportive of energy from wind,’ said Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK. ‘Wind is an abundant, clean, secure and affordable energy source. It is therefore not only undemocratic to allow the vocal anti-wind minority to derail the UK’s plans for renewable energy, but also damaging to our economy, undermining investment and jobs that will help to rebuild communities across the country, and put the UK on a path to future economic prosperity.’
The findings also suggest that the majority find the appearance of wind farms to be acceptable.
Respondents were asked to rate the level of acceptability of the appearance of wind farms on the landscape on a 10-point scale, ranging from completely unacceptable (one) to completely acceptable (10).
The majority (57 per cent) gave a score of between seven and 10, with a fifth (20 per cent) suggesting that the look of wind farms was completely acceptable. At the other end of the scale, one in six (17 per cent) gave scores of between one and four. Two in 10 (22 per cent) were neutral (giving a score of five or six), with four per cent not knowing.
The poll of 1,009 adults aged between 16 and 64 across the country comes ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial, which will see ministers from more than 20 nations come to London to discuss low-carbon energy.
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Readers' comments (26)
john turner | 23 Apr 2012 12:35 pm
Had the question been: will you pay £200+ per year in subsidies for windmills? the answer would be
no thanks
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Tony Thomson | 23 Apr 2012 1:12 pm
It would still be yes from me!
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Malcolm | 23 Apr 2012 2:08 pm
I wonder how many people were asked to approve the look of Drax or Sizewell B. At the moment we can expect to pay more for electricity from energy sources that are landing in real time than from concentrated sources accumulated over billions of years and thrown away in a couple of hundred. Householders can easily substitute higher efficiency for increased per kWh cost (CFLs and high efficiency appliances). Sustainability and cleaner air at no cost.
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Anonymous | 23 Apr 2012 2:24 pm
If the wind power available is so abundant, why can it only supply such a miniscule amount compared to our overall energy needs? If it is such a good investment, why should the hapless general public subsidize it by an enforced amount stolen from them through their energy bills?
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Patrick Sudlow | 23 Apr 2012 2:24 pm
People are paying higher energy bills because of subsidies for nuclear and fossil fuels, not for renewables.
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Nathan | 23 Apr 2012 5:02 pm
The vast majority of people are ignorant of engineering issues, democratic principle is no basis for making engineering decisions.
Furthermore this sounds more like a dictat emmanating from North Korea rather than reasoned debate.
"‘Wind is an abundant, clean, secure and affordable energy source. It is therefore not only undemocratic to allow the vocal anti-wind minority to derail the UK’s plans for renewable energy, but also damaging to our economy, undermining investment and jobs that will help to rebuild communities across the country, and put the UK on a path to future economic prosperity.’"
The people have spoken and anyone who disagrees is an enemy of the people, of the earth and of mother Gaia.
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Paul Noonan | 23 Apr 2012 8:39 pm
It would be interesting to see the results categorised by the profession of the respondent. What would the vote be amongst qualified, practicing, engineers and scientists?
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Roger Caplin | 23 Apr 2012 8:53 pm
This has to be a good thing to install, the view is not bad compared with cooling towers, in the long term it is good for the balance of payments. The main problem is where is the energy going to come from if replacement power stations are not built when there is no wind. The cost of generating for short periods must cost more. But whatever is produced will have no long term effect on the climate.
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Anonymous | 23 Apr 2012 9:27 pm
Instead of asking these questions, how many of the people draining the public of their income on energy have a wind farm to look out on? Nimby/gravy train leaches ought to be made to live with them. They will all have to come down anyway. As there is much better out there, and they know it.
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tom kawala | 23 Apr 2012 9:34 pm
The UK shoreline suggests that the best will be harnessing tidal power. It is abundant, regular, reliable and predictable. Wind power at low altitudes
is very irregular.
More to say, there are locations with strong currents where harnessing energy can be lucrative business, staying very close to to shore line.
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