Public support for solar PV remains high, but the government has seemingly failed with its clean growth awareness campaigns.
Those are the findings from the most recent Public Attitudes Tracker survey, published today, which demonstrate that 83% of the 4,258 surveyed support the use of solar PV.
While public support has dwindled slightly from its high of 87% recorded in March, solar remains the most popular renewable energy generation technology in the country, beating offshore wind by four percentage points.
Support for renewables in general also remains high at 80%, but has too slipped slightly from the 83% figure recorded in March’s survey.
Fracking, meanwhile, has continued to witness its public support slide. Just 15% of those responded said they support shale gas extraction, down from the 18% figure recorded at the last survey in March, as various incidents and earth tremors continue to beset Cuadrilla’s test site in Lancashire.
The government may also have an issue with its apparent failure to make the British public aware of its clean growth agenda.
BEIS first asked the public of its awareness of the concept of clean growth in July, finding that 28% of those surveyed had heard at least a little of it. However September’s survey found that this had slid to just 21%, with 78% stating that they had not heard of the concept before the survey question.
Those results may be particularly embarrassing considering that by September BEIS was publicising its maiden Green Great Britain Week – a week-long series of events celebrating the country’s clean industries, held in mid-October – with energy and clean growth minister Claire Perry having spent much of the year promoting the government’s Clean Growth Strategy.