The amount of electricity generated by renewables in Scotland has increased fourfold since 2000.
In 2015, the amount of electricity generated in Scotland by renewable sources equated to 59.4% of the gross annual consumption of electricity in Scotland, compared with 12.2% in 2000.
Scotland particularly has huge potential for renewable energy due to its geology and climate and the Scot-Govt. has set a national indicator to deliver the equivalent of 100% of gross consumption through renewable sources in 2020 – meeting the interim target of 50% by 2015.
This indicator helps monitor the extent to which Scottish electricity consumption can be met sustainably using renewable sources located both within Scotland and its coastal waters.
The indicator equates the amount of electricity from renewables generated in Scotland annually as a percentage of Scottish gross annual consumption (electricity generated minus net exports (but including losses)).
Renewable energies were again the single largest source of electricity generated in Scotland in 2015 (42%) – higher than both nuclear generation (35%) and fossil fuel generation (22%).
Scotland continued to be a net exporter of electricity, exporting 28.9% of total generation in 2015, up from 23.7% in 2014. Overall electricity generation in Scotland increased by 1,225 GWh to 51,200 GWh in 2015.
In 2015 renewables generated 42% of Scotland’s electricity output—the single highest contributor to electricity generation. Nuclear output increased from 33.3% to 34.7% in 2015. Overall the levels of fossil fuel output decreased from 27.7% of total Scottish generation in 2014 to 22.0% in 2015. The proportion of generation from gas fell from 5.5% to 3.7%.
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