Renewable Energy In Scotland

The production of renewable energy in Scotland is a topic that came to the fore in technical, economic, and political terms during the opening years of the 21st century. The natural resource base for renewable energy is high by European, and even global standards, with the most important potential sources being wind, wave, and tide. Renewables generate almost all of Scotland's electricity, mostly from the country's wind power.

In 2020, Scotland had 12 gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity capacity, which produced about a quarter of total UK renewable generation. In decreasing order of capacity, Scotland's renewable generation comes from onshore wind, hydropower, offshore wind, solar PV and biomass. Scotland exports much of this electricity. On 26 January 2024, the Scottish Government confirmed that Scotland generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland's electricity consumption from renewable energy sources, making it the highest percentage figure ever recorded for renewable energy production in Scotland. It was hailed as "a significant milestone in Scotland's journey to net zero" by the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, Neil Gray. It becomes the first time that Scotland produced more renewable energy than it actually consumed, and demonstrates the "enormous potential of Scotland's green economy" as claimed by Gray.

Continuing improvements in engineering and economics are enabling more of the renewable resources to be used. Fears regarding fuel poverty and climate change have driven the subject high up the political agenda. In 2020 a quarter of total energy consumption, including heat and transportation, was met from renewables, and the Scottish government target is half by 2030. Although the finances of some projects remain speculative or dependent on market incentives, there has been a significant—and, in all likelihood, long-term—change in the underpinning economics.

In addition to planned increases in large-scale generating capacity using renewable sources, various related schemes to reduce carbon emissions are being researched. Although there is significant support from the public, private and community-led sectors, concerns about the effect of the technologies on the natural environment have been expressed. There is also a political debate about the relationship between the siting, and the ownership and control of these widely distributed resources.HICEC. (2006
''Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company Annual Review''
HICEC. Inverness. . (PDF). Retrieved 31 August 2007.

Realisation of the potential

Summary of Scotland's resource potential

Targets

In 2005 the aim was for 18% of Scotland's electricity production to be generated by renewable sources by 2010, rising to 40% by 2020. In 2007 this was increased to 50% of electricity from renewables by 2020, with an interim target of 31% by 2011. The following year new targets to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 were announced and then confirmed in the 2009 Climate Change Delivery Plan. Maf Smith, director of the Sustainable Development Commission in Scotland said "Governments across the world are shying away from taking the necessary action. The Scottish Government must be commended for its intention to lead the way".

Scotland aims to produce 50% of all energy (not just electricity) from renewable sources by 2030.

An ambitious target has been set with a 7 year plan to build an extra 8GW of offshore wind power by 2030.

It remains a policy of the Scottish Government to reduce emissions to net zero by 2045.

History

Electricity production is only part of the overall energy use budget. In 2002, Scotland consumed a total of 175 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy in all forms, some 2% less than in 1990. Of this, only 20% was consumed in the form of electricity by end users, the great majority of energy utilised is from the burning of oil (41%) and gas (36%). Nonetheless, the renewable electricity generating capacity may be 60GW or more, greater than required to provide the existing energy provided from all Scottish fuel sources of 157TWh.Scottish Renewables (January 2006) ''Market and Planning Report''. Issue No 4.

2002 figures used as a baseline in RSPB Scotland ''et al.'' (2006) for electricity production are: gas (34%), oil (28%), coal (18%) and nuclear (17%), with renewables 3% (principally hydro-electric), prior to the substantial growth in wind power output. In January 2006 the total installed electrical generating capacity from all forms of renewable energy was less than 2GW, about a fifth of the total electrical production. Scotland also has significant quantities of fossil fuel deposits, including substantial proven reserves of oil and gas and 69% of UK coal reserves.''A Scottish Energy Review''. (November 2005) Scottish National Party Framework Paper. Edinburgh. Nonetheless, the Scottish Government has set ambitious targets for renewable energy production.

Most electricity in Scotland is carried through the National Grid, with Scotland's renewable mix thus contributing to the electricity production of Great Britain as a whole. By 2012, over 40% of Scotland's electricity came from renewable energy, and Scotland contributed almost 40% of the UK's renewables output. At the end of that year there was 5,801megawatts (MW) of installed renewables electricity capacity, an increase of 20.95% (1,005MW) on the end of 2011. Renewable electricity generation in 2012 was a record high at 14,756GWhan increase of 7.3% on 2011, the previous record year for renewables output. In 2015, Scotland generated 59% of its electricity consumption through renewable sources, exceeding the country's goal of 50% renewable electricity by that year."Renewables in Numbers – Scottish Renewables"
Scottish Renewables. Retrieved 31 January 2021.

In 2018, Scotland exported over 28% of electricity generation to the rest of the UK. By 2019 renewable electricity generation was 30,528GWh, over 90% of Scotland's gross electricity consumption (33,914GWh) and 21% of overall energy use was produced from renewable sources, against Scottish Government targets of 100% by 2020 and 50% by 2030 respectively.Statistics for Scotland: Q1 2020 figures".
(pdf) Retrieved 28 December 2020. At the start of 2020, Scotland had 11.8gigawatts (GW) of installed renewable electricity capacity which produced approximately 25% of total UK renewable generation (119,335GWh).

Economic impact

The renewable energy industry supports more than 11,500 jobs in Scotland, according to a 2013 study by Scottish Renewables. With 13.9GW of renewable energy projects in the pipeline, the sector has the potential to grow quickly in the years ahead creating more jobs in the region. Glasgow, Fife and Edinburgh are key centres of offshore wind power development, and the emerging wave power and tidal power industries are centred around the Highlands and Islands. Rural job creation is being supported by bioenergy systems in areas such as Lochaber, Moray and Dumfries and Galloway. Although the finances of some projects remain speculative or dependent on market incentives there has been a significant and in all likelihood long-term change, in the underpinning economics.Valenti, Martin (2020
"Scotland's leading role in the journey to a sustainable, low-carbon future"
Scottish Enterprise. Retrieved 7 February 2021.

An important reason for this ambition is growing international concern about human-induced climate change. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's proposal that carbon dioxide emissions should be reduced by 60% was incorporated into the UK government's 2003 Energy White Paper. The 2006 Stern Review proposed a 55% reduction by 2030. Recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports have further increased the profile of the issue.

Hydroelectricity

, Scotland has 85% of the UK's hydroelectricity resource, much of it developed by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board in the 1950s. The "Hydro Board", which brought "power from the glens", was then a nationalised industry, it was privatised in 1989 and is now part of Scottish and Southern Energy plc.''Power from the Glens/Neart nan Gleann''
Scottish and Southern Energy plc. Retrieved 24 January 2021. p. 1.

, installed capacity is 1.67 GW, this is 88% of total UK capacity and includes major developments such as the 120MW Breadalbane Scheme and the 245MW Tummel system. Several of Scotland's hydro-electric plants were built to power the aluminium smelting industry. These were built in several "schemes" of linked stations, each covering a catchment area, whereby the same water may generate power several times as it descends. Numerous remote straths were flooded by these schemes, many of the largest of which involved tunnelling through mountains as well as damming rivers. Emma Wood, the author of a study of these pioneers, described the men who risked their lives in these ventures as "tunnel tigers".

, it is estimated that as much as another 1.2GW of capacity remains available to exploit, mostly in the form of micro and small-hydro developments such as those in Knoydart and Kingussie. The 100MW Glendoe Project, which opened in 2009, was the first large-scale dam for almost fifty years.

In April 2010 permission was granted for four new hydro schemes totalling 6.7MW capacity in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

There is also further potential for new pumped storage schemes that would work with intermittent sources of power such as wind and wave. Operational examples include the 440MW Cruachan Dam and 300MW Foyers schemes, while exploratory work for the 1.5GW Coire Glas scheme commenced in early 2023. These schemes have the primary purpose of balancing peak demands on the electricity grid.

Wind power

Wind power is the country's fastest growing renewable energy technology, with 8,423 MW of installed capacity as of 2018. On 7 August 2016, a combination of high wind and low consumption caused more wind power generation (106%) than consumption. Scottish wind turbines provided 39,545MWh during the 24 hours of that date, while consumption was 37,202MWh. It was the first time that measurements were available to confirm that fact. Electricity generated by wind in November 2018 was enough to power nearly 6million homes and wind production outstripped total electricity demand on twenty days during that month. This latter outcome was described by environmental group WWF Scotland as "truly momentous".

The target for 2030, made in 2023, was for 11GW of offshore wind by 2030. This would represent an increase of 400% in offshore wind and a 60% increase in total wind generated power.

Onshore

The 54-turbine Black Law Wind Farm has a total capacity of 124MW. It is located near Forth in South Lanarkshire and was built on an old opencast coalmine site, with an original capacity of 97MW from 42 turbines. It employs seven permanent staff on site and created 200 jobs during construction. A second phase saw the installation of a further 12 turbines. The project has received wide recognition for its contribution to environmental objectives. The United Kingdom's largest onshore wind farm (539MW) is at Whitelee in East Renfrewshire.

There are many other onshore wind farms, including some—such as that on the Isle of Gigha—which are in community ownership. The Heritage Trust set up Gigha Renewable Energy to buy and operate three Vestas V27 wind turbines. They were commissioned on 21 January 2005 and are capable of generating up to 675kW of power and profits are reinvested in the community. The island of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides is not connected to the National Grid, and has an integrated renewable power supply with wind, hydro and solar and battery storage, and a rarely used diesel backup.

The siting of turbines is sometimes an issue, but surveys have generally shown high levels of community acceptance for wind power. Wind farm developers are encouraged to offer "community benefit funds" to help address any disadvantages faced by those living adjacent to wind farms. Nonetheless, Dumfries and Galloway's local development plan guidance concludes that "some areas are considered to have reached capacity for development, due to the significant cumulative effects already evident".

Offshore

The Robin Rigg Wind Farm is a 180MW development completed in April 2010, which is Scotland's first offshore wind farm, sited on a sandbank in the Solway Firth. Eleven of the world's most powerful wind turbines ( Vestas V1648.4MW each) are located in the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off the east coast of Aberdeenshire.

It is estimated that 11.5 GW of onshore wind potential exists, enough to provide 45TWh of energy. More than double this amount exists on offshore sites where mean wind speeds are greater than on land. The total offshore potential is estimated at 25GW, which although more expensive to install, could be enough to provide almost half the total energy used. Plans to harness up to 4.8GW of the potential in the inner Moray Firth and Firth of Forth were announced in January 2010. Moray Offshore Renewables and SeaGreen Wind Energy were awarded development contracts by the Crown Estate as part of a UK-wide initiative. Also in 2010, discussions were held between the Scottish Government and Statoil of Norway with a view to developing a 5-turbine floating windfarm, possibly to be located off Fraserburgh. In July 2016, RSPB challenged development in the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay.

Moray East Offshore Wind Farm was granted consent for a 1,116MW development in 2014 by the Scottish Government. The 103rd and final jacket for the project was installed in December 2020. The Hywind Scotland array off the coast of Peterhead is the world's first floating wind farm. It consists of five 6MW turbines which have a rotor diameter of 154m and is aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of larger systems of this type.

Wave power

Various systems have been developed since the 1970s, aimed at harnessing the enormous potential available for wave power off Scotland's coasts. Early development of wave power was led by Stephen Salter at the University of Edinburgh, on the Edinburgh or Salter's duck, although this was never commercialised.One of the first grid-connected wave power stations was the Islay LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Power Energy Transformer) energy converter. It was installed on the island of Islay by Wavegen Ltd, and opened in 2001 as the world's first commercial-scale wave-energy device. However, in March 2013, the new owners Voith Hydro decided to close down Wavegen choosing to concentrate on tidal power projects. The Siadar Wave Energy Project was announced in 2009. This 4MW system was planned by npower Renewables and Wavegen for a site 400 metres off the shore of Siadar Bay, in Lewis. However, in July 2011 holding company RWE announced it was withdrawing from the scheme, and Wavegen was seeking new partners.

Edinburgh based Ocean Power Delivery, later Pelamis Wave Power, developed the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter between 1998 and 2014. Both the P1 and P2 devices were tested at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, and three P1 machines were installed in Portugal at the Aguçadoura Wave Farm in late 2008. In 2009, the Swedish power firm Vattenfall started development of the Aegir Wave Farm off the west coast of Shetland which would use Pelamis devices, however the project was cancelled after Pelamis went into administration.

Following the demise of Pelamis and Aquamarine Power, Wave Energy Scotland was set up in 2014 to facilitate the development of wave energy. It was set up by the Scottish Government as a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. However, although Scotland has "more wave and tidal devices deployed in our waters than anywhere else in the world" commercial production from wave energy has been slow to develop. Between 2015 and 2022, the Wave Energy Scotland programmes helped fund the development and demonstration of parrt-scale devices by Mocean Energy and AWS Ocean Energy, which were then tested at EMEC. The Mocean device was redeployed within their Renewables for Subsea Power project, providing power for over a year to autonomous monitoring for oil and gas projects.

Tidal power

Unlike wind and wave, tidal power is an inherently predictable source, and there are many sites around Scotland where it could be harvested to generate power. The Pentland Firth between Orkney and mainland Scotland has been described as the "Saudi Arabia of tidal power" and may be capable of generating up to 10GW,"Marine Briefing" (December 2006) Scottish Renewables Forum. Glasgow. although a more recent estimate suggests an upper limit of 1.9GW. In March 2010 a total of ten sites in the area, capable of providing an installed capacity of 1.2GW of tidal and wave generation were leased out by the Crown Estate. Several other tidal sites with considerable potential exist in the Orkney archipelago. Tidal races on the west coast at Kylerhea between Skye and Lochalsh, the Grey Dog north of Scarba, the Dorus Mòr off Crinan and the Gulf of Corryvreckan also offer significant prospects.

The "world's first community-owned tidal power generator" became operational in Bluemull Sound off Yell, Shetland, in early 2014. This 30kW Nova Innovation device fed into the local grid, and was replaced by a 100kW tidal turbine connected in August 2016. The array was expanded to six turbines in January 2023, although the three oldest turbines were removed a few months later.

At the opposite end of the country a 2010 consultants' report into the possibility of a scheme involving the construction of a Solway Barrage, possibly south of Annan, concluded that the plans "would be expensive and environmentally sensitive." In 2013 an alternative scheme using the VerdErg Renewable Energy spectral marine energy converter was proposed for a plan involving the use of a bridge along the route of an abandoned railway line between Annan and Bowness-on-Solway.

In October 2010 MeyGen, a consortium of Morgan Stanley, Atlantis Resources Corporation and International Power, received a 25-year operational lease from the Crown Estate for a 400MW tidal power project in the Pentland Firth.Major Scottish tidal project unveiled
''New Civil Engineer'', 28 October 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010. In September 2013 the Scottish Government granted permission to Meygen for the commencement of the "largest tidal energy project in Europe" and the developer announced the installation of a 9MW demonstration project of up to six turbines, expanding to an 86MW array tidal array. Commercial production commenced in November 2016, with the four turbines of Phase 1 installed by February 2017. Current owners SIMEC Atlantis Energy (SAE) intend to develop the MeyGen site up to its current grid capacity of 252MW. In 2022 and 2023 SAE was awarded Contracts for Difference to supply 28 MW and 22 MW of electricity, which will fund the next stage of the project's development.

Scottish tidal developers Nova Innovation and Orbital Marine Power were each awarded €20m of Horizon Europe funding in 2023 towards developing tidal arrays in Scotland. Nova plan to install 16 turbines totalling 4 MW in Orkney, while Orbital plan four O2 turbines with a total capacity of 9.6 MW.

Bioenergy

Biofuel

Various small-scale biofuel experiments have been undertaken. For example, in 2021 British Airways flew a 35% aviation biofuel demonstration flight from London to Glasgow. Some say that sustainable aviation fuel (not necessarily biofuel) for the UK should be produced in Scotland due to the high share of renewable energy. Due to the relatively short growing season for sugar producing crops, ethanol is not commercially produced as a fuel.

Biogas, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas

Biogas, or landfill gas, is a biofuel produced through the intermediary stage of anaerobic digestion consisting mainly of 45–90% biologically produced methane and carbon dioxide. In 2007 a thermophilic anaerobic digestion facility was commissioned in Stornoway in the Western Isles. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency

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