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Polling shows strong support for pro-renewables policies, as RenewableUK launches manifesto

By: Chloe Emanuel 15/05/2024 Renewable UK

General Windfarms

New polling by Opinium, commissioned by RenewableUK, reveals high levels of support for renewables among voters who are concerned about tackling the cost of living crisis and securing the future economic prosperity of the UK.
Out of 10,021 people questioned, 75% say the development of renewable energy is a significant factor for the next government to consider in decisions about driving economic growth outside London and the south east of England, as well as in decisions about increasing jobs in the UK (83%), tackling climate change (81%), energy bills (88%) and energy security (84%).

The percentages are even higher among swing voters: for example, 83% those intending to switch from Conservative to Labour cited regional economic growth from renewables as a significant factor, while 89% cited increasing jobs, 86% tackling climate change, 96% energy bills and 92% energy security.

More voters want the next government to prioritise green jobs than any other key sector of the economy to drive economic growth – more than advanced manufacturing, digital technology, life sciences or performing arts industries. More than two-thirds (68%) of those polled want the next government to be proactive in maximising investment in renewables and in pursuing a green industrial strategy, with floating voters even more supportive of this.

The polling is included in RenewableUK’s 2024 Manifesto, which sets out five key actions for the next government. The first is a call for a clear plan to deliver our pipeline of renewable energy projects, including setting ambitious deployment targets beyond 2030 and better cross-government coordination to achieve this.

Secondly, the Contracts for Difference scheme should be modernised to enable consistent volumes of renewables to be deployed year on year. The UK needs an attractive business environment which mobilises the maximum amount of private investment, in the face of fierce international competition. To create this, our electricity market should be reformed in a careful, evolutionary way, to avoid increasingly the cost of capital significantly.

Thirdly, we are calling for a more efficient planning framework to enable us to build projects and net zero infrastructure more swiftly. This should include an over-arching Strategic Spatial Energy Plan to ensure we get to net zero in an environmentally sensitive way, by continuing to minimise any impacts, and with the support of local communities who want to benefit from projects in their area. Unblocking onshore wind in England would be the first step towards ensuring our planning system is fit for purpose.

Our fourth action is to scale up supply chains and skills capabilities. Our Industrial Growth Plan for offshore wind, published last month, provides a blueprint for this, with the clearest assessment to date of how the UK can triple its manufacturing capacity in the next decade by investing in the most valuable parts of the supply chain for projects here and exports worldwide. Transforming ports around the UK into new industrial hubs will enable us to capitalise on innovative floating wind.

The fifth recommendation is for policies which unlock greater levels of private investment into vital flexible technologies such as long duration energy storage and the co-location of battery storage alongside wind and solar farms, to ensure our future energy system is efficient, cheaper and secure.

RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said: “It’s clear that the next general election is going to be dominated by questions about the cost of living crisis, and how the next Government can boost the UK economy after a difficult few years. Fortunately, the transition to clean energy can provide cheap electricity for billpayers, drive investment in new manufacturing, boost the competitiveness of UK businesses and support tens of thousands of jobs across the country. The latest polling shows that voters are well aware of this and that they support it.

“We have to be honest: rapidly increasing the UK’s clean energy supply won’t be easy, but our manifesto provides a clear path to do this. We’ll have to build renewable energy projects much faster, both onshore and offshore, as well as new infrastructure to support them. We’ll need a forward-thinking and ambitious government to get us there. That government will need to ensure we remain competitive in the global race for skills and supply chains and reform our planning system to enable communities to benefit more from the transition. If we work closely together to get this right, the next five years will see a massive transformation of the UK’s energy system”.

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Polling shows strong support for pro-renewables policies, as RenewableUK launches manifesto

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