22% of electricity required in Scotland generated from renewables

A research published earlier shows that Scotland produced 22 per cent of its power needs in 2008 from renewable sources, just 9 per cent off its 2011 target. Energy Trends, a quarterly energy statistics report prepared by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), reveals that there was an 8.9GWh increase on the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources in 2008.

The Scottish government targets to meet 31 per cent of the country’s overall electricity requirement from renewables by 2011 and 50 per cent by 2020. In total, renewable sources located in Scotland account for 42 per cent of the UK’s renewable output.

There are now 6.5GW of renewable energy projects installed, under construction or consented across Scotland. The local government’s Energy Consents and Deployment Unit is currently processing 36 applications – including one thermal plant, 11 hydroelectric facilities and 24 onshore wind farms – amounting to 2.7GW.

Mid this year, Whitelee, the biggest onshore wind farm in Europe, was officially activated and the Orkney-based Oyster wave energy facility was connected to the National Grid.

The amount of Renewable Obligation (RO) electricity produced in Scotland last year was 11 per cent higher compared to 2007, while the amount of RO power generated in Wales was 18 per cent larger than in 2007. The raise in Northern Ireland was 52 per cent, while England increased by 8 per cent.

Meanwhile, the UK’s overall RO electricity production grew by 11 per cent. Countrywide, hydro sources of electricity climbed by 39.3 per cent on the third quarter of 2008, while wind farms increased by 38.9 per cent.