Figures show increased capacity.
Scotland’s capacity for electricity generation from renewable
sources increased by 10% within a year, with the largest growth
coming in offshore and onshore wind installations.
New figures for 2023 show Scotland continues to generate more
electricity than it uses, with net exports to other UK nations
worth an estimated £1.5 billion thanks to record production
levels in the second half of the year.
More than three quarters of the renewable electricity generated
in Scotland in 2023 came from wind technologies, while the second
largest producer was hydro technologies at almost 14%.
Scottish Energy Statistics for the final quarter of 2023 detail
15.3 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity capacity operating
in Scotland, with a further 25.9 GW in the planning pipeline from
517 projects. This compared to 13.9 GW of capacity operating in
2022.
Energy Minister said:
“A 10% increase in capacity and net exports worth an estimated
£1.5 billion shows that the Scottish Government’s focus on
growing the green economy is paying off.
“We will ensure Scotland continues to capitalise in a sustainable
way on its natural resources to underpin the just transition to
net zero, provide jobs, benefit communities and support economic
growth.
“To help Scotland reap the economic benefits of this expansion in
renewables we are allocating £66.9 million in 2024-25 to
kickstart our commitment to invest £500 million over the next
five years in Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain.”
Background
Scottish Energy Statistics
for Quarter 4 2023.
Provisional UK Greenhouse
Gas Emissions Stats 2023.
One Gigawatt of power is equal to one billion watts and can power
between 300,000 - 750,000 homes, depending on the source of the
energy and consumption of the home.
Electricity generation from renewable sources in Scotland in
2023 was 33.3 Terawatt-hours (TWh). This was a 7% drop from
2022 – largely due to adverse weather conditions – but record
levels of renewable generation in the second half of 2023
mitigated this. A Terrawatt-hour is a unit of energy which
represents one trillion watts of power used for one hour.
Scotland’s net exports of electricity to other UK nations in 2023
amounted to 15.9 TWh.
