Scotland tops UK leaderboard for renewables, says SNP
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Scotland is consuming and producing more renewables than any other
UK nation, according to new figures provided by SPICe. Alasdair
Allan MSP has warned the Tory government needs to “take a more
strategic view of the environment” and ring-fence funding for
marine and onshore renewables as part of the Contract for
Difference. SPICe figures reveal Scotland was the fourth largest
green energy consumer in the whole of the European Union in 2016 –
with 54% of its...Request free trial
Scotland is consuming and producing more renewables than any other UK nation, according to new figures provided by SPICe. Alasdair Allan MSP has warned the Tory government needs to “take a more strategic view of the environment” and ring-fence funding for marine and onshore renewables as part of the Contract for Difference. SPICe figures reveal Scotland was the fourth largest green energy consumer in the whole of the European Union in 2016 – with 54% of its electricity provided by renewables, over twice as much as the average for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latest stats also showed that 70% of Scotland’s energy came from renewables in 2017, a 15% rise in one year and a threefold increase since 2007. Clean energy also makes up a higher proportion of Scotland’s total electricity production than some of Europe's largest economies, and with 11% more electricity generated from renewable sources in the first quarter of 2018 compared to last year, the industry is growing all the time. SNP MSP Alasdair Allan said: “With over half of our energy supplied by renewable sources - Scotland is, alongside Austria, Sweden and Portugal, crowding out fossil fuels faster than other EU nations. “We are setting an example to the rest of the UK as one of Europe’s top consumers and producers of renewable energy. “Figures out last year also showed that our renewables industries generated £10.7 billion in turnover and supported 43,500 jobs in 2014. “The Tories need to take a more strategic view of our environment and stop cutting subsidies for renewables, which experts have confirmed will be more cost-effective than nuclear power in the near future. “With one hand the Tories are throwing billions of pounds at Hinkley point nuclear power station, while with the other they are taking support away from the clean industries of the future, like Carbon Capture and Storage in Peterhead. "The SNP recognises the importance of renewable energy in powering Scotland's future, and it is clear that the sooner Scotland has full control over energy policy the better, so we can invest wisely in green energy.”
Notes to the editors 'Scots fourth in European green energy usage league' - this story appears on p.9 of today's Scotsman.
Renewables proportion of total electricity production (%)
Source: UK Government, Eurostat, Energy Information Administration, World Bank.
Renewables as a proportion of gross electricity consumption (%)
The UK Government has stated that: “Reserving a proportion of the budget for these technologies - at the expense of other potentially less expensive technologies in Pot 2 - does not represent good value for money for consumers.”
The UK’s position in the EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index fell to 14th place in 2016 due to “uncertainty caused by Brexit, the closure of DECC and the approval of Hinkley Point C all deal(ing) a sizeable blow to the UK renewables sector”.
Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures on the low carbon and renewable energy economy, released on 29th November, show low carbon industries in Scotland generated £10.7 billion in turnover and supported 43,500 jobs in 2014.
Scotland has also already met its 2020 target to install 500MW of community and locally owned renewable generation capacity. |