Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston
Renewable energy
Scottish Climate Change Law (pdf)
White Christmas, Greener Scotland
More than a quarter of Scotland's electricity needs now comes from renewables.
Statistics published today show that in 2009, renewables met over 27 per cent of Scotland's electricity use.
Other findings in today's Energy Trends publication show that, in 2009:
- Electricity generated in Scotland increased by three per cent to 51,325 gigawatt hours (GWh)
- Gross electricity consumption in Scotland decreased by 4 per cent
- 24 per cent of electricity was exported (12,145 GWh) from Scotland
- There was a 20 per cent increase in the amount of electricity from renewables (to 10,744 GWh), which includes a 37 per cent rise in electricity generated from wind, wave and solar (mainly wind)
- Scottish renewables accounted for 43 per cent of total UK renewable output
Climate Change Minister Roseanna Cunningham said:
"As Scotland faces a White Christmas, we are greening up our energy supply".
White Christmas, Greener Scotland 23.12.10Renewable electricity in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions of England in 2009
This article updates that presented in the September 2009 edition of Energy Trends on the amount of electricity from renewable sources disaggregated below the national level.
In capacity terms Scotland had the capacity to generate 24% more electricity from renewable sources than England. This was because of Scotland's considerable hydro resources (89% of the UK's total hydro capacity). Hydro accounted for 45% of generation from renewables in Scotland. However, because biofuels based capacity was used more intensively than hydro (which is subject to seasonal variation in precipitation in the catchment areas) generation from renewable sources in England in 2009 was 12%higher than generation in Scotland.
In 2009, Scotland had 48% of the capacity to generate from wind and produced 49% of the output.
Economic activity in each country or region can be measured in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA). Scotland not only has the largest generating capacity from renewables, it is the largest in terms of capacity per unit of GVA and generation per unit of GVA.
Between 2003 and 2009 there was a 138% increase in generation from renewables in the UK, but faster rates of growth were recorded in ... Scotland, with 188% increase.
DECC Report (pdf)Friends of the Earth claim report proves case for renewable energy
The Power of Scotland Secured
Scotland could phase out all fossil fuel and nuclear power by 2030, maintain a secure electricity supply and generate significant revenue from renewable exports, according to new research by one of the world's leading energy consultants, Garrad Hassan.
It's now widely recognised that renewables could grow to comfortably exceed our electricity demand by 2020. But The Power of Scotland Secured shows that, contrary to popular myth, the variability of renewable power need not threaten the security of supply in Scotland, even in the context of a full phase out of conventional thermal power.
In fact, the transmission infrastructure required to keep the lights on at times of low renewables output will be easily justified by the value of exports which it will make possible at times of high output.
Moreover, if home heating and transport are electrified in line with the recommendations in this analysis, and modest demand management achieved, a 100% renewable grid system in Scotland could make overall household 'triple fuel' bills lower than in conventional scenarios.
This research was commissed by Friends of the Earth Scotland, and the summary published with generous assistance from WWF and RSPB.
Full report (pdf; 52pp)
How can we cope with the variability of renewable energy? Do we need some coal, gas and nuclear in Scotland to keep the lights on when the wind drops?
Electricity only meets a quarter of all our energy needs: what can we do about emissions from transport and heating?
What is electricity anyway?
Find answers to all these questions and more, in a new Friends of the Earth easy-to-read, myth-busting pamphlet on renewable energy in Scotland, based on the above study:
The Offshore Valuation
The Offshore Valuation Group came together to answer a central question for the United Kingdom: What is the value of our offshore renewable energy resource?
What we found has exceeded our expectations. In harnessing 29% of the practical offshore renewable resource by 2050:
- the electricity equivalent of 1 billion barrels of oil could be generated annually, matching North Sea oil and gas production and making Britain a net electricity exporter;
- carbon dioxide reductions of 1.1 billion tonnes would be achieved by the UK between 2010 and 2050 – a major contribution towards 2050 climate targets;
- 145,000 new UK jobs could be created by industry.
The next four decades of technological development could enable us to harness a practical resource ten times the size of today’s planned deployments. Integration with neighbouring electricity networks though a ‘super-grid’ could provide access to a single European electricity market, enabling the UK to sell renewable electricity across the continent.
Read the full report:
The Offshore Valuation: A valuation of the UK’s offshore renewable energy resource (pdf; 105 pages; 5Mb)
Ports and shipyards in Scotland are being given £70m to help tackle a multibillion pound funding gap facing the offshore green economy, Alex Salmond has announced. The first minister said the investment fund would allow Scottish ports and windfarm factories to upgrade their facilities to meet the immense challenge of building and installing the vast offshore wind and marine energy farms planned by ministers.
