New research has shown the majority of Scottish people are in favour of seeing the next Scottish Government making renewable technology a priority.

The survey ask participants whether the next government should prioritise renewables, extend the life of fossil fuel plants, use shale gas or build new nuclear power stations.

Out of 1,000 respondents, 70% wanted to see more renewable energy such as wind, solar, wave and tidal and two-thirds agreed that the next government should "continue to take forward policies that tackle greenhouse gas emissions and climate change".

19% said the next government should should prioritise the use of fracking for shale gas while 42% said they should not prioritise building new or extending the life of fossil fuel power stations.

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In addition, 33% supported developing new nuclear power plants.

When asked about household energy needs, respondents were to pick from a list of renewable energy devices they would consider installing in or around their own homes.

The most popular response was solar panels followed by wind turbines, biomass boilers, heat pumps and small-scale hydro turbines. In addition to those who already had renewable energy devices installed, solar panels were most commonly featured along with biomass boilers and heat pumps.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of industry body Scottish Renewables, said the poll suggests people are continuing to remain "strongly behind the growth of renewable energy".

"Just months after the Paris climate change agreement, the poll also shows clear support for Scotland’s next government to prioritise policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

"While only 4% of the sample has small scale renewables at home, there is clear appetite amongst householders to generate their own renewable energy.

"More than a third of those surveyed saying they would consider solar panels to power or to heat their homes, and 20%interested in installing a wind turbine or biomass boiler."

"We will be continuing our work on the Feed-in Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive to ensure that smaller scale renewables remain a viable investment for homeowners across Scotland."

(LM)