UK Urge BEIS for more Onshore Wind

Results of a recent survey by BEIS show that public opinion regarding onshore wind is at its highest level ever. Almost eight out of ten people actively support onshore wind developments, up three per cent from last year.

This complements a YouGov survey conducted last summer, which revealed two thirds of the UK public would like to see policies changed to make new developments easier. Policies were introduced in 2015 which put barriers in place for planning applications for new wind farms.

Despite public opinion, BEIS continue to insist that more wind is not the right solution for England and are adamant that policies will not be changed.

A survey conducted by the BEIS has shown that public support for onshore wind developments has hit an all time high. Their Public Attitudes Tracker results show that 79% of respondents show clear support for wind farms, compared to just 76% in April last year.

Also, in the survey, it was shown that support for tidal and wave power was up 1% from last year’s 81%, and offshore wind also receives high public support, equalling last year’s approval rating of 83%. Support for solar is the highest of all, reaching 89% in this latest survey.

Overall, support for renewable energy grew to 84%, a marked increase from 77% in December 2018. Conversely, opposition to fracking grew from 35% to 40%, and only 12% said they supported the exploration of shale gas.

In another record high, 80% of respondents said they were concerned about climate change, with just under half agreeing that it is either entirely or mainly caused by human activity. New questions were included on this topic, which uncovered that two thirds of people think climate change is already having an impact in the UK. Just 2% of people don’t believe in climate change.

Despite the positive results of the BEIS survey, the department has also said it is not keen to add more onshore wind to England’s capacity. A change in policies introduced in 2015 has seen planning applications for wind farms drop by around 94%.

A YouGov poll in July last year showed that two thirds of the UK supported the policies being changed to allow more wind farms in places which had local backing. The results of the more recent BEIS survey further confirms a positive public opinion of onshore wind. And yet, the government continues to say that it’s not the right choice for England. A spokesperson is reported by Energy Voice to have said:

“We continue to believe that more large-scale onshore wind is not right for England. By 2030 a third of British electricity is set to be produced by offshore wind power thanks to a deal struck between government and industry, as we aim to become the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions.”

Although making onshore wind development difficult in England won’t stop us reaching net zero, it will make it more expensive. While the UK could be throwing up hundreds of relatively inexpensive onshore turbines each week, we are now having to rely on more expensive technologies to meet our power requirements.

As RenewableUK’s Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said,

“It’s difficult for voters to square why the Government is bringing in laws to cap energy bills on the one hand, while choosing to further push up costs for billpayers by blocking cheap, new wind power on the other”.