Delegates at the recent annual Wind Energy Conference were told that four in five Irish people supported wind farms while opposition to wind energy has fallen to a mere 5%.

Polling, which was carried out for Wind Energy Ireland by Interactions Research, found that 58% would support the development of a wind farm in their local area and support generally for wind energy among people living in rural Ireland was at 85%. Both of these figures are the highest since the tracking poll began in 2018.

In terms of the recognised benefits of wind power, 45% of people ranked its No 1 benefit as cheaper electricity, followed by its role in reducing CO2 emissions (22%) and the environment benefits (18%).

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Wind energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, it is clean and it is increasingly popular among Irish people.

“Irish wind farms have helped to protect consumers from the worst effects of an energy crisis driven by our dependency on imported fossil fuels while also saving twice as much in carbon emissions as every other renewable energy technology combined.

“The best way out of this energy crisis is to accelerate the development of renewable energy, to ensure more of our power is provided here, at home, creating Irish jobs, supporting local communities and helping to push down prices.” 

Offshore wind 

The survey also revealed a growth in positive attitudes towards offshore wind with 83% of those polled saying they would help with Ireland’s energy security. However, a mere 31% felt Ireland was doing enough at present to develop our offshore wind capabilities.

“Irish people are increasingly aware of the need for greater energy independence and energy security. They know wind energy is critical to achieving this but they are rightly concerned that the plans and infrastructure to deliver offshore wind energy are not in place.

“We are not building new wind farms, on or offshore, at the pace we need them. The grid infrastructure and the planning system we need still are not in place. We need to build new wind farms faster than we have ever done before.

“Finding ways to do that will be the focus of our annual conference as we work together to drive Ireland’s energy revolution and accelerate to net zero. The plans are in place but now we need action.”

This survey was commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland to measure and track perceptions and attitudes around wind energy amongst Irish adults. This year’s survey sampled a representative sample of 1,017 Irish adults together with a supplementary booster sample of 201 rural dwellers. Fieldwork took place between November 23 and December 8, 2022.