A poll of nearly 1000 bosses by the Institute of Directors has found high levels of support for more deployment of renewables in the UK.
In a survey of 998 members of the IoD between 11-26 May, support for increased offshore wind capacity stood at 79%, wave and tidal 88%, onshore wind 56%, biomass 68% and solar 87%.
Over half of IoD members also backed hydraulic fracturing of shale rock for oil and gas.
The IoD was critical of UK energy policy and said the creation of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is “the ideal moment for the government to reconsider the direction of travel.”
“Government policy at the moment is creating all sorts of bizarre outcomes. Instead of accelerating moves to safely frack for gas and oil in the UK, we are importing coal and oil from Russia and gas and oil from Norway, with the extra costs and emissions that involves,” said infrastructure policy adviser Dan Lewis.
“Instead of building cleaner gas plants to meet demand when renewables can’t, the government has been subsidising more polluting diesel-fired plants.”
Image: Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm (RWE)
