70% of Scots back wind energy

Support for wind energy is growing in Scotland, according to an independent poll. The findings disprove objectors stating that many communities are opposed to the renewable energy source.

The poll, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by industry body Scottish Renewables, found that more than seven in ten Scottish adults supported the continued development of wind power as part of the energy mix. The figure represent a 7% increase on last year and comes as capacity for onshore wind in Scotland rise by 20% over the last 12 months.

Joss Blamire, senior policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said, “These poll results highlight once again that not only do the vast majority of Scots support wind power, but the number who do is actually increasing.

“The wind energy sector is thriving in Scotland, providing jobs, investment and helping to tackle climate change – and these figures show it’s doing all of this with the Scottish public right behind it.”

He added, “We are often told by a vocal minority of objections that Scots don’t like wind power, but this poll shows there is absolutely no evidence to support this – in fact, quite the opposite.”

A similar poll conducted by trade body RenewableUK found that wind energy enjoys consistently high popularity across the UK. Around 70% of Brits support the energy source but underestimated the support across the country, believing approval ratings are around 40%. The poll also looked at the how much the public believes wind subsides are, fining that the public thinks they are over 14 times more than the amount they are in reality.

RenewableUK also noted that a “small minority” was vocal and skewing public perceptions of wind energy.

Chief executive of the organisation, Marina McCaffery said, “[The findings] suggest that the loud voices of a small minority, too-often perpetrated by negative rhetoric in some parts of the media, are trying to distort the facts. The truth is that the vast majority of the British population -70% – are pro-wind.”

Photo: Attilio Lombardo via Freeimages

Further reading:

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Scottish wind energy sector boosted by four new farms

Scotland’s electricity system could be almost 100% renewable by 2030

Wildlife charity challenges Scottish windfarms

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