Scotland: Government to make renewables a priority

Renewables have come out top of a new poll that asked people in Scotland which energy source the next Scottish government should prioritise.

As Scotland heads to the polls on May 5, the YouGov survey asked more than 1,000 respondents whether the next government should prioritise the continued development of renewables, extend the life of fossil fuel plants, use shale gas or build new nuclear power stations.

The poll showed that 70% want to see more renewable energy such as wind, solar, wave and tidal, and two-thirds agreed that the next government should ‘continue to take forward policies that tackle greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.’

Only 19% said the next government should prioritise the use of fracking for shale gas while 42% said they should not prioritise building new or extending the life of fossil fuel power stations. New nuclear power plants being treated as a priority has received backing of 33% of those polled.

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 prioritise policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

When asked about their own household energy needs, respondents were given the option of picking from a list of renewable energy devices they would consider installing in or around their own homes.

The most popular response was for solar PV panels (39%) followed by solar thermal panels (36%), wind turbines (21%), biomass boilers (20%), heat pumps (20%) and then small-scale hydro turbines (13%).