Dismissing people who oppose renewable schemes such as wind farms in their area as "Nimbies" is counterproductive and could damage public support for clean energy, researchers warned. A study found only two per cent of more than 3,000 people questioned about nearby renewable schemes fell into the Not In My Backyard (Nimby) category of strongly supporting low-carbon power in general but opposing their local project. There was substantial support for renewable energy, plus in the local area, but it could be "fragile" – particularly in the case of onshore wind farms and biomass – said lead researcher Dr Patrick Devine-Wright from the University of Manchester.

Researchers urged the Government and developers to address the legitimate concerns people had about the impacts of renewable schemes, to ensure targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions from energy are met.

The Government's renewable energy strategy plans thousands of onshore and offshore wind turbines by 2020.

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