Next Scottish government urged to back renewables

Renewables has come out on top of a new poll which asked Scottish residents about energy sources that the Government should next prioritize.

The YouGov report asked 1,000 respondents whether the next government should prioritize the continued development of renewables, extend the life of fossil fuel plants, use shale gas or build new power stations. 70% said renewable sources such as wind, solar, wave and tidal should be prioritized and two thirds said the Government should “continue to take forward policies that tackle greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.” Only 19% said the next Government should prioritize fracking for shale gas, while 42% said they should not prioritize building new or extending the life of fossil fuel power stations. 33% support new nuclear power plants being treated as a priority.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The poll suggests that the people of Scotland continue to be strongly behind the growth of renewable energy, with support for the sector way ahead of any other. Just months after the Paris climate change agreement, the poll also shows clear support for Scotland’s next government to prioritize policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” In addition respondents were asked which renewable energy devices they would consider installing in or around their homes. The most popular response was solar panels followed by wind turbines, biomass boilers, heat pumps and then small scale hydro turbines.

Mr Stuart added: “While only 4% of the sample has small scale renewables at home, there is clear appetite amongst householders to generate their own renewable energy. More than a third of those surveyed saying they would consider solar panels to power or to heat their homes, and 20%interested in installing a wind turbine or biomass boiler.” “We will be continuing our work on the Feed-in Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive to ensure that smaller scale renewables remain a viable investment for homeowners across Scotland.”