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White Christmas Greener Scotland
23/12/2010
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.
"Scotland is blessed with abundant natural energy sources, particularly in our seas, and today's figures follow a steady trend towards Scotland's energy becoming greener and cleaner. Electricity generated by renewables increased by 20 per cent in 2009. And as consumption here fell by four per cent in 2009, exports to the rest of the UK are rising with nearly a quarter of all our electricity produced going south, contributing further to sustainable economic growth.
"Green energy developments coming on stream in 2009, such as the Whitelee wind farm, are now feeding ever greater amounts of green power into the grid. This has been another tremendous year for renewables in Scotland, with massive commercial interest in developing wave and tidal energy from the Pentland Firth. Our National Renewables Infrastructure Plan published in the summer sets out the strategic investments needed to assist offshore development. And we raised our target for renewable electricity from 50 per cent to 80 per cent by 2020.
"As Scottish Renewables new figures recently demonstrated, Scotland is on track to hit our interim target of 31 per cent of all electricity demand to be met from renewables by 2011. However, the next ten years will be decisive for determining the pace of the renewable revolution and the transition to a low carbon future. We need a fairer transmission charging regime and we need the UK Government's proposals to reform the electricity market to help, not hinder Scotland. As the new Climate Change Minister, I will work tirelessly to support a Scotland that sets an example around the world of how to transform successfully to a low carbon economy. Today's news is welcome step towards that goal."
The Scottish Government's target is to meet 80 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2020. There is now 7 Gigawatts of renewables capacity installed, consented or under construction around Scotland, set to take Scotland beyond the interim target of 31 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand from renewables by 2011.
The Scottish Government has now determined 44 energy applications, including approval for 36 renewable and three non-renewable projects since May 2007 - more than double the number of determinations than over the whole of the previous four years, in which 19 projects were determined.
The Scottish Government's Energy Consents and Deployment Unit is currently processing 35 applications (25 onshore wind, 5 hydro and 5 thermal).