New research commissioned by Solar Energy UK has shown that 77% of the UK public supports solar development in their local area.
The survey, conducted by Copper Consultancy, explores attitudes towards solar PV power plants, revealing that since 2023, there has been a 4% increase in backing for solar PV development.
The overwhelming majority of respondents expressed support for solar development in their local area, with 77% saying they either “support” or “strongly support” it. However, the proportion of those who say they oppose solar developments locally to them has also risen, from 4% in 2023 to 13% in the 2024 survey.
There has still been a distinct sway of opinion towards support for solar energy. A total of 68% of those surveyed said their opinion of solar energy had changed in the last 12 months, with 55% becoming more supportive of the industry and 13% becoming more opposed.
When the public was asked what they perceived to be the biggest benefit of solar energy, the top result remained unchanged from the previous year’s survey. A total of 43% of respondents stated that they saw providing low-cost energy to the local community as a key benefit of solar energy, up from 32% in 2023. A further 41% considered the provision of clean energy to the local area as a key benefit.
Perception is improving, but communication must be clearer
Solar Energy UK notes that the results of the survey indicate that the beneficial impact that solar farms can have on biodiversity needs to be better communicated to the public.
While only 11% of respondents stated they were unaware of the contribution solar farms can have to nature recovery, down from 42% in 2023, only 13% of those surveyed cited biodiversity as a key benefit of solar developments. However, the proportion of the public that views the impact on wildlife as the most significant drawback of the solar sector has also risen, from 27.5% in 2023 to 42% in the most recent survey.
Additionally, the survey revealed that the general public is still largely unaware of the reasons solar developers choose to select certain sites as locations for solar developments.
While the percentage of people who believe that there is “no main reason” why specific sites are earmarked for solar developments has fallen since 2023, from 34.5% to 20.3% today, only 10% of respondents in 2024 understood that the primary reason for site selection for solar PV power plants is based on access to grid connections, something which the report notes “remains a challenge”.
Exploring the results of this survey, Solar Energy UK has made several recommendations for the solar industry. These include better public communication to explain the benefits of solar energy and encourage a more optimistic perception of solar PV, collaborating with the government, local communities, and local authorities to get more solar over the line, and communicating solar as a solution to regional and individual challenges.
“Solar farms are popular, and public support is getting even stronger. As more solar energy is deployed across the country, and public awareness grows further, it is good to see that the nature benefits are becoming better known, but we need to keep improving community engagement so more people understand how locations are selected, and the multiple benefits the projects will bring,” said Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK.
