Half of all the energy used in Scotland could be produced by renewable technology in less than 15 years, according to a new report. It painted a picture of a country that exports vast amounts of electricity to the rest of the UK by producing 40 per cent more than it needs, where half of the buses and a third of cars are electric – improving air quality and public health – and where fuel poverty is “eradicated”. However the report, called The Energy of Scotland, warned that while a low-carbon future was “achievable and desirable”, Scotland was currently on track to miss its climate targets, getting less than 30 per cent of energy from renewables by 2030. Writing in the report, which was commissioned by the Scottish branches of WWF, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB, Lang Banks, WWF-Scotland’s director, said: “Scotland is in the enviable position of having fantastic renewable energy potential. “Successfully unlocking this potential will not only secure our climate goals but provide the means to deliver economic opportunities across Scotland, bring social benefits and improve public health.” However he said bringing about this future would require “significant changes to the way we heat our homes and organise our transport” and “new, bold policies”. The report, by consultants Ricardo Energy and Environment, found emissions from electricity power stations could drop to near zero with an “almost entirely renewable” supply, creating 14,000 new jobs. It said fossil fuel emissions from transport should fall by 40 per cent by 2030 with renewables providing 20 per cent of the energy consumed – up from just four per cent today.
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