Copenhagen: Scotland's perfect conditions could lead the way to a greener, low-carbon future

SCOTLAND has such ideal conditions for renewables it could play a key role in enabling Europe to meet green energy targets, according to a new report.

With perfect conditions for wind farms, hydro schemes, wave and tidal schemes, Scotland has an opportunity to be a European leader in the sector, according to the report by Wood Mackenzie, commissioned by the Scottish Government.

The report came as the European Commission confirmed more than 100 million of funding was to be pumped into renewables projects in Scotland.

A hub that will connect offshore wind and marine generation in Shetland to the Scottish mainland was given 66m and an offshore wind farm near Aberdeen got 36m.

However, Longannet power station missed out on funding towards technology to capture and store carbon dioxide, with 160m going instead to a similar project in Hatfield, South Yorkshire.

The Wood Mackenzie report said: "Scotland's comparative advantage will help diversify and decarbonise indigenous energy supply over the coming years.

"However, a far larger prize for the country is how its comparative advantage of low-carbon energy opportunities could be utilised in an EU-wide context.

"In the future, Europe's eyes could look toward northern European nations, like Scotland and Norway, to help meet environmental targets and mitigate energy security concerns."

However, Scotland's potential is being held back by an inadequate grid infrastructure, the report said. The independent report also highlighted that if technology to capture and store carbon emissions from power stations proved successful, a network in the Firth of Forth could capture about a third of Scotland's emissions.

The network would capture emissions from Longannet and Cockenzie power stations, the Grangemouth oil refinery and a cement works near Dunbar and store them under the North Sea.

Jim Mather, the energy minister, said: "This report demonstrates that Scotland's energy advantage lies in securing low-carbon electricity from renewables and clean fossil fuels."

Niall Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "This confirms what we know already: that Scotland has fantastic renewables potential, with tremendous natural resources for onshore and offshore wind, wave, tidal and biomass."