Tuesday 14 August 2018

Quarter of businesses say renewables are a passing fad

More than a quarter of UK businesses believe renewable energy is just a fad.

That's the suggestion from Haven Power's new survey of 1,000 energy decision makers across the country, which shows 27% think the push for clean power is a passing trend - the financial services sector is particularly dubious, with 40% of firms doubting technologies like wind and solar will be around for the long-term.

Despite this, 59% of the nation's businesses still think renewables are the key to a cleaner future, with around 60% keen to start producing their own energy.

The results of the survey show 37% of companies think the biggest barrier preventing them from implementing sustainable change is cost, followed by lack of government support at 24% and uncertainty on how to broach the topic with senior management at 23%.

Haven Power says the agriculture sector leads in both awareness of renewable energy and taking action to procure it and adds 59% of businesses in manufacturing admit their own industry is most responsible for saving carbon emissions.

However, the report suggests businesses in the hospitality and entertainment industry are less likely to make sustainable changes as they don’t believe it’s a priority to their customers.

Paul Sheffield, Chief Operating Officer at Haven Power, said: "It’s concerning to see the proportion of businesses that still view renewable energy as a passing trend, despite evidence showing that a move to cleaner energy is essential for the environment.

"It’s clear more needs to be done to demonstrate the wider opportunities and benefits of renewable energy for businesses."