Rather Solar than Nuclear Power - The British prefer Renewable Energies for the Future

Three weeks ago the British government green lighted the construction of the controversial nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C after having slashed feed-in tariffs for solar power right at the beginning of the year. Those decisions set a clear sign for the future course of energy politics in the United Kingdom.

First results of the “Home Owner Study on Photovoltaics UK 2016“ by EuPD Research show that the British wish for a transition towards renewable energies. The question “On which energy sources should the UK rely for future energy supply?” was answered by more than half of the respondents with “wind, solar and hydro”. Only a third named nuclear power among the future power sources. The fossil fuels coal and oil are seen as backward. Less than 10 percent of the study participants see these sources as part of the future energy mix. Moreover, the respondents believe in the competitiveness of renewable energies. 22 percent of the participants stated that they believed solar power to be the cheapest energy source in the UK followed by about 17 percent of the respondents naming wind.

“These recent results offer further evidence that renewable energies are broadly accepted by the people, while being hindered on the political level,“ states Dr Martin Ammon, head of energy department at EuPD Research.

Further content of the study includes the characterisation of the home owners regarding living condition, consumption behaviour and specifically attitudes towards and knowledge about photovoltaics.