New figures show that 82pc of the British public now support renewable energy, with only 1pc now 'strongly opposing' the idea of using clean, green energy sources.

The research was carried out by the government to produce their regular Energy & Climate Change Attitude Tracker. Members of the public are selected at random to give their opinions on energy policy in order to assess whether public opinion is shifting.

The latest set of figures represents a marked increase over the last survey, which registered public support at only 77pc. 

The REA's Head of Policy, James Court, commented on the latest figures, saying that it wasn't surprising that the British public were ready to give their support for green energy and to recognise it as the most common and popular form of power generation. He added that the clean energy industry had enjoyed an 'extraordinary year', with plummeting prices and new highs for energy generation.

Mr Court called on the government to stop applying brakes to the clean energy sector and allow biomass, solar and onshore wind - all cheap forms of power - to access the national market and for subsidies to be stopped for fossil fuel and nuclear energy.

The government has recently said that it will fit 800,000 low-income properties across England and Wales with solar PV systems in a £1 billion project. Some 100,000 homes will be selected initially in a pilot phase lasting for 18 months. 

This is the UK's biggest single renewable energy scheme to date and is also being supported by Maas Capital, the Dutch firm, which has provided £160 million of capital.

In Scotland, the first floating wind farm in the world is now operating and will produce enough energy for 20,000 homes at peak operation.