A survey from the British Solar Association, (so there will be a bit of bias inbuilt into the survey (a bit like the survey conducted in Richmond Shire)), but interesting none-the-less. While you'd expect solar to have a bias, more pholk would like to live next to a nuclear reactor than a gas mine!
Poll: Brits say solar is a better neighbour than shale gas. Almost seven times more people would prefer a local solar farm over shale operations, as industry releases guidelines to boost good practice
By Will Nichols
21 Aug 2013
Almost seven times more people would rather live next door to a solar farm than a shale gas operation, a new survey reveals.
A YouGov poll of 2,068 people for the Solar Trade Association (STA) found 40 per cent said they would prefer a solar farm to be located nearby when asked to choose between four types of energy development.
Meanwhile, 25 per cent chose a wind farm, 10 per cent opted for a nuclear power plant and just six per cent opted for shale gas fracking and boreholes.
This figure reflects the consistent unpopularity of shale developments among the public. A separate YouGov poll for the Sunday Times found only 40 per cent of people approve of public financial support for the technology and almost half thought it was bad for the environment. This week, protests at an exploratory drilling site in Balcombe resulted in a number of arrests, including that of Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.
A recent ICM survey painted a more balanced picture, however, finding 40 per cent of respondents would welcome fracking - the controversial technique used to extract shale gas and oil - in their area, although the same number would oppose it.
Large solar developments have also proved contentious, with critics accusing them of taking up prime farming land and spoiling the rural aesthetic. However, a study published this week by Kronos Solar suggest that only 21 of the 23,859 brownfield sites listed in England are suitable for solar farms, leaving fields and industrial rooftops as the best way of meeting the UK's goal of deploying 22GW of solar capacity.
To combat a potential negative perception, the STA yesterday launched 10 Commitments it wants solar developers to follow, including focusing on low value agricultural land, minimising visual impact, and engaging local communities prior to submitting planning applications. They also suggest encouraging dual purpose use, such as sheep grazing, as much as possible, protecting habitats for small animals and returning the land to its original use when the project comes to the end of its life.
While the STA poll found two-thirds of people supported ‘good quality' or ‘all' solar farms, this rose to 71 per cent when the 10 Commitments were described, while only five per cent of people said they still opposed all solar farms.
STA chief executive Paul Barwell urged the industry to comply with the commitments and deliver benefits for both the climate and the countryside.
"When solar farms are done well they can be a force for good in the local countryside, as well as building national energy security and protecting the global climate," he said in a statement. "For the UK, with its beautiful countryside, maintaining strong public support for solar farms is a challenge this new industry is keen to take on by delivering the very best practice."
The commitments have secured the support of a range of environmental groups including The National Trust, RSPB, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Forum for the Future, as well as Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker, who described it as a "welcome initiative".
Barker added: "As the big rollout of solar gathers pace and the sector scales up, the deployment of solar PV must be carried out in a manner which is thoughtful, sustainable and respects both the landscape and the views of the communities among which it is deployed."
