A new report says Scotland could generate all the electricity the country needs from renewable sources within two decades.
The Power of Scotland Renewed Report, based on research by independent energy analysts Garrad Hasson, was commissioned by four leading environmental charities and published yesterday. It says that by 2030 renewable energy can provide between 60% and 143% of Scotland's projected electricity demand. The report also states that by 2030 Scotland will no longer need to burn any fossil fuels to provide electricity if the country can fulfil it's potential to find renewable energy sources, such as wind and wave power.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said, "This report vindicates the Scottish Government's position to substantially invest in green, renewable energy sources and ambition to become Europe's green energy powerhouse. It concludes that a considerable amount of our future electricity needs can be met by renewable sources."
"Scotland has a quarter of Europe's entire tidal resource and wind energy potential - including massive offshore as well as onshore wind power capabilities. There are hugh economic and employment opportunities for Scotland and the Scottish Government has already announced plans to take advantage of these strengths which will result in the creation of thousands of green energy related jobs in Scotland."
The four environmental charities involved in the production of the report were Friends of the Earth Scotland, WWF Scotland, Scottish campaigns for the World Development Movement and the RSPB Scotland.
Source: The Courier
Posts
28 comments:
SR - I've looked into a lot of the proposed projects and they simply don't add up. A University of York report on the Solway Firth tidal barrage showed that it would generate only a fraction of what is promised, cause massive environmental damage and the supposed jobs created were a fantasy.
I note the authors of this report. Would you accept a report that said smoking was good for you paid for by the tobacco companies? Would you automatically accept a report from the oil companies that said oil-fired stations were the way to go?
This is such an important issue that if we get it wrong, our children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences. We cannot take reports from partisan sources at face value.
This is not really surprising to me as I have been interested in the subject for quite a while. It's probably in fact a rather pessimistic view as tidal flow generation is so under developed at present, but has huge potential.
Alan Wallace: the Solway scheme will never happen. Marine generation in Scotland will be primarily from harnessing tidal flow, in particular in the Pentland Firth. Tidal rise and fall schemes as envisaged for the Solway and Severn indeed have the shortcomings you describe, and in any case those are about the only two suitable estuaries in Britain, so this method of generation is of very little interest.
It's fair to point out that Garrad Hassan are primarily wind power consultants and their report should be read with that reservation in mind, however you will see in the report (summary here (PDF)) that by 2030 generation from wave and tidal is expected to about equal onshore wind. The level of wind contribution at that point is about the most the national grid could take (owing to the unreliability of wind) and from 2030 onwards the role of wind will reduce.
Alan, I'm sure you noticed I didn't give an opinion of this, I only posted the article.
Renewables aren't a great interest of mine but I've read exactly what you say and you make far more sense than the article. I understand we haven't even begun with off-shore pilots as yet.
The authors of the 'independent' report weren't listed but, reading between the lines I realised who they were. I listed them purposely because, again, I thought the same as yourself.
So where do we go from here?
Thanks Vronksy for putting more flesh on the bones for me. I actually looked for the report and couldn't find it. You have far greater skills then me at the search engine game.
I'm going to list some of your excellent recent posts on my humble blog.
- Aangirfan
Your humble blog Nona? This is the humble one. I thank you for the compliment though.
I'm struggling to put posts on Facebook. Do wish there was a book to help get round that site.
Crazy crazy stuff. We should be keeping our coal in the ground for when we will need it (all too soon), and not exporting the stuff.
Why does the government persists in building wind turbines in order to hook them up to the energy grid, where they are, not to put too fine a point on it, almost entirely useless?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3345785/Report-blows-hole-in-wind-power-plan.html
Using wind data from the Met Office, researchers found that in January, when energy demand is highest, wind farms often fail to produce enough electricity, dropping on occasion to 4 per cent of their maximum output.
...
The report says: "Wind output in Britain can be very low at the moment of maximum annual UK demand. These are times of cold weather and little wind.
WE'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES..... and then some
If 're-newable' energy is so great, why are most of the wind turbines at a stand still most of the time? In my opinion, there is only one way. Am I allowed to say the dreaded 'N' word?
Nukes. Nukes. I know a lot about nuclear power for someone who is not a phyicist and I can ashoore yew, as the boss (superintendent) of a NPP once said to me, that no nukes is bad nukes.
That applies to Faslane, too. We gotta have em.
I'll tell you a story, as Max Bygraves allegedly would say, one of these times.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not very recycle-orientated or convinced, but we are not terribly good at being selective and sensible with our use of energy in the first place and, by our abuse, its waste and unnecessary cost ought to be tackled more rationally.
To digress - Jim, Uncle Willie sometimes wore a fetching maroon number whilst regaling his customers in the "shop"(as he called it) blending in somewhat with the 51st HD inspired colour scheme with selected highlights picked out in Seaforth Highlander and Capstan Full Strength. You would have been sitting on one of a job-lot of church pew seating (cheap) whilst contemplating the Declaration of Arbroath in pride of place on the entrance wall?
My father was frequently required to extract Willie from one of his Heath-Robinson burglar traps in the cellars (just imagine the quality of the expletives!) when my aunt would call late at night to announce his non-arrival at home from work at the Oxford. Many stories about him were urban myths but some were true. I have the CD about the history of the Oxford - but I hate the name being shortened to the "Ox".
Clarinda,
Dearest Petal,
You and I were made for each other. Sigh. The vagaries of fate.I never saw Mr Ross in the maroon thing - he was a wearer of the green whenver I saw him
Ah, speaking of vagary. I was, I hope, a personal friend of Ron Lockhart - former manager of the Star Bar off Nelson St. - just doing an offshift stint to help out - who was murdered in the St Vincent by James Vagary, now, happily, no longer with us.
I only learned of what had happened after pawning my cornet at the pawnshop on the Stockbridge end of St. Stepehen St., having arranged to meet my then girlfiend in the St V at eleven.
Then girlfriend is now a famous lesbian activist. What is it about me and women? I brush my teeth, don't smell bad, I think I'm quite a good kisser. I love wrapping my tongue around the tongue of an enthusiastic lady - my knob - to this day - is of a reasonable size when it's in the mood... OK not as often as it used to be.
I'll stop now, shall I?
I didn't realise we were exporting coal Brian. There's an opencast mine locally here and it supplies only Scotland last time I heard.
Does a great deal depend on location for wind Quiet Man? That's why the Hebrides plan was a disappointment because they so have plenty wind in cold weather.
Auch I know we'll do it Wardog, but the timescale isn't realistic unless we double the efforts.
Well that's kinda like a dentist saying you gotta have teeth Jim. Spill the beans!
It depends on the type of wind Subrosa, too much and they don't work same as too little.
Windpower is really the British Rail of power generation, there are much better, cheaper, far more reliable options.
OK Rosy. I knew you would get me for that. Ha. I wanted you to get me for that you lovley puff-pie, you.
I'm a tedious old git - no really-you'd never have guessed - but I have learned something in recent times that I have come to believe to be important. I don't think I am important - heaven forfend - don't want to be - wouldn't know what do do with importance if it were handed to me.
But therein lies the secret. Hand it back. Remember the people!
But they never have done. They never will.
Ah Quiet Man, I didn't realise that so I feel rather more informed now.
If you'd like to do a wee post about this then I'd be delighted to put it up. Just email me. I think more of us need to know the reality of it all rather than the propaganda.
Jim yer an awfy man so yer are. We're all important Jim but so few realise it. Many of us allow the struggle of survival to suppress our importance. We've been the puppets too long and it's time we also pulled the strings.
The people will eventually waken up and grab the initiative Jim. We've got to think positive.
There's too much flirting going on in this blog. I'm off for some man to man stuff with Scottish Unionist!
Erm ... see you in 5 minutes then brownlie!
Rosy,
What!? Some women would be glad you know - I'm not a bad-looking bloke. Some women HAVE been glad. OK, not as glad as I've been.
J xx
Afternoon Jim. Aye they just might be glad but would they be grateful? That's the big question.
Damn. She gets me every time. Aint that just like a woman?
And it's old, and old it's sad and old it's sad sad and weary I go back to you. my cold father, my cold mad feary father...
JJ Finnegans Wake. Just from memory. Probably wrong. Didn't google it.
Not bad Jim, better than I could recall. Of course it's Friday so you're wakening up. :)
Post a Comment