Producing half of Scotland’s energy needs using renewable technology by 2030 is an achievable goal, according to a new report. Actions required to meet that target have been set out in a study for WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and RSPB Scotland. The environmental groups have now called on the Scottish government to bring forward the necessary policies. Ministers said the report was a “useful contribution” to the energy debate. The report, based on independent analysis by Ricardo Energy and Environment, is called “The Energy of Scotland: Heating, moving and powering our lives from now to 2030”. It sets out how Scotland’s climate targets could be met in “the most cost-effective way”. It found that to achieve these goals, half of all the country’s energy will need to come from renewables by the end of the next decade. The report suggested that by 2030: Two-fifths of Scotland’s homes should be heated from renewable sources, with a Warm Homes Act helping ensure access to cleaner, more affordable heat; A national energy efficiency programme should help reduce energy use in homes by 30%, with millions of homes across the country insulated; One in three cars, and half of all buses, should be electric. It said other benefits would include the “creation of new jobs; warmer, healthier homes; and cleaner air helping reduce the burden on the NHS”. The Scottish government will publish its third climate change plan in the new year, setting out how it intends to meet emissions targets between now and 2032, and work towards a long-term reduction of 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. It will also publish a new energy strategy looking at the transition to a low-carbon economy.
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Scotland is in the enviable position of having fantastic renewable energy potential. Successfully unlocking this will not only secure our climate goals but provide the means to deliver economic opportunities across Scotland, bring social benefits and improve public health. Much has been achieved already. At last count Scotland generated the equivalent of 57% of its electricity consumption from renewables and had reduced climate emissions by 39.5% since 1990. This is a tremendous achievement, but there are no grounds for complacency. This report sets out the scale of development that Scotland must embrace if it is to retain its place in the global vanguard of the energy transition, and in the process create a thriving, healthy, economically-active low-carbon society.
WWF Scotland 10th Oct 2016 read more »
The Energy of Scotland: Heating, Moving and Powering our lives from now to 2030.
WWF Scotland 10th Oct 2016 read more »