Half of Scotland's electricity demand gained from renewables
The statistics, released today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), find that renewable energy provided 49.7 per cent of Scotland’s gross electricity consumption in 2014, putting the country within touching distance of its 2015 renewables target of 50 per cent a year early.
The total electricity output from renewables, standing at 38 per cent last year according to the figures, is highest amount of any other energy source in Scotland, with nuclear and fossil fuels the next biggest contributors at 33 and 28 per cent respectively.
Renewable electricity generation delivered 18,962 GWh of Scotland’s 2014 total electrical output of 49,929 GWh, while over a quarter of the UK’s green electricity was generated by Scottish renewables projects, with a further 23.7 per cent of the country’s green generation exported to other countries.
Fergus Ewing, Energy Minister for Scotland, believes the figures show that Scotland’s renewable sector is stronger than ever, emphasising that the country’s early adoption of clean, green energy technology and infrastructure was “the right thing to do.”
“It is fantastic news that renewables are now Scotland’s biggest electricity generator. Despite damaging policy changes from the UK Government, we will continue to harness – and bolster – Scotland’s renewables potential, both in generation and infrastructure.
“At the end of Q3 2015, there was 7,504 MW of installed renewables electricity capacity in Scotland, an increase of 4.6% over the year. Devolved administrations, like the Scottish Government, will be strong drivers of a progressive climate agenda.
“Today’s figures show that a low carbon economy is not just a practical way forward, but that green energy plays a crucial role in the security of Scotland’s energy supply.”
The new statistics show an almost 12 per cent rise in renewable generation from 2013, both of which were record levels of green electrical output for Scotland, while gross electrical consumption in the country rose by over five per cent from the same year.
Joss Blamire, senior policy manager for industry body Scottish Renewables, believes the figures show how important green power is to Scotland’s energy mix, while also warning that there is work still to be done.
"These latest figures are a clear sign of how important renewables have become to our energy sector. While we are now almost half way to our 2020 goal of producing the equivalent of 100 per cent of our electricity from renewables, the second half of the target is going to be much harder to achieve than the first."
