13/10/2021 | 5 mins | Offshore wind

Poll shows majority of people in Scotland want planning system to enable more onshore wind farms

13 October 2021 - RenewableUK press release


New polling commissioned by RenewableUK shows strong support for onshore wind in Scotland, including reforming the planning system to enable more wind farms to be built.


70% of people in Scotland agreed that the local planning system should broadly encourage the building of renewable energy projects like onshore wind, with only 8% opposed. Support is slightly higher among people who live within five miles of a wind turbine in Scotland (74%), and it increased to 79% among SNP voters.


When asked specifically whether a Scottish project should go ahead if it has majority support among local people, 81% agreed. Only 11% said total community consensus was needed. SNP voters were even more in favour of majority consent at 87%. In the Highlands and Islands 73% supported this and in the south of Scotland the percentage rose to 92%. 


74% of people in Scotland support replacing old onshore wind turbines with new ones when they reach the end of their natural lifespan. Support for repowering rises to 78% among people living within five miles of an onshore wind farm in Scotland.


Repowering is popular across the political spectrum too, with 70% of Scottish Conservative voters and 82% of SNP voters supporting it. 


When asked directly asked whether they support installing modern turbines which are taller in order to generate more power, 67% of people in Scotland remained supportive, with only 11% opposed. This increased to 77% among SNP voters.


Support for repowering is strong in areas likely to see much of it, such as the Highlands and Islands (67%), north east Scotland (77%) and the south of Scotland (78%).


73% of the Scottish public want the Government to set a long-term target for wind energy ahead of the UN change summit in Glasgow (COP26) in November. Support is even higher among SNP voters at 79%. RenewableUK is urging Ministers to enable 30 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind by 2030, more than doubling our current capacity.


76% of the Scottish public agree that the Government should work pro-actively with the onshore wind industry to boost jobs and local business opportunities in onshore wind - setting a specific deployment target would unlock billions of pounds in private investment to achieve this.


The polls are published on that day that RenewableUK unveils a new Onshore Wind Prospectus which sets out the economic and environmental benefits of this technology in terms of reducing bills, creating jobs, attracting investment and reducing carbon emissions by working with the Scottish Government to set an ambitious new deployment target for 2030 alongside new targets for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 


RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail said:


“This polling shows that public support for onshore wind in Scotland remains sky-high. That needs to be reflected in the way local authorities make decisions about new onshore wind projects in their area going forward.


“Onshore wind is one of our cheapest sources of new power, creating an escape route for bill payers from rocketing gas prices and delivering net zero at the lowest cost. It also has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in Scotland and attract tens of billions of pounds in investment in local communities.


“Our Onshore Wind Prospectus shows how we can maximise these opportunities by working closely with the Scottish Government to deliver on more ambitious targets over the course of this decade. This will enable onshore wind to play a key role in helping the Prime Minister to fulfil his pledge that the UK will generate all of its electricity from clean sources by 2035”.


(ends)


 

The benefits of Onshore Wind

Read here

Notes


RenewableUK’s members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry.


1,059 people in Scotland took part in the fully-weighted poll which was conducted in July by Survation.


The polling results tally with Government’s opinion polls published in May (BEIS Public Attitudes Tracker - Wave 37) which show that 70% of people support onshore wind. 


RenewableUK’s full events programme is available here.


For further information, contact