Renewables: economic key or expensive folly?

With global investment in climate friendly technologies set to reach £1.3 trillion within a decade, the era of climate competitiveness is upon us. The inclusion of a low-carbon transition as a priority for Scotland’s economic strategy is therefore to be welcomed.

It is only right that we should be ambitious in our approach to renewables, given the imperative to cut emissions from our power sector and our vast renewable energy potential.

A recent report from one of the world’s leading energy consultants, GL Garrad Hassan, shows that Scotland’s renewable electricity generation can grow to comfortably exceed our electricity needs and that the Scottish Government’s target of 100 per cent renewables by 2020 is completely achievable.

Scotland’s targets to both cut emissions and boost renewables provide welcome policy and investment certainty and we are on track to generate renewable electricity equivalent to a third of our needs by the end of the year.

Renewable energy is just one sector with opportunities to transform our economy. Similarly ambitious targets and programmes aimed at improving the energy efficiency of our housing stock, the development and roll-out of low-carbon vehicles and recycling and refurbishing of goods all offer huge environmental and economic opportunities for Scotland.

Ultimately, our entire economy must become resource efficient and low carbon and we will support government leadership and action to deliver this.

(Dr) DAN BARLOW

Head of policy WWF Scotland

STAN BLACKLEY

Chief executive

FoE Scotland

With remarkably bad timing John Swinney announces (your report, 12 September) that he wants all Scotland’s electricity needs to be met by renewables by 2020.

As we have seen in recent days, it is not just when the wind does not blow that wind farms do not produce electricity, but they also have to be shut down if it blows too hard. It is incredible that the Scottish Government plans to rely on this sort of unreliable technology.

It also seem to have little understanding that the capital cost per megawatt of building offshore wind farms (which are likely to be shut down more often due to higher wind speeds) is vastly more expensive than gas or nuclear power and much more costly to maintain and to connect to the grid. There is also the additional cost of continuing to run reserve power stations, which will have to cover for the imbalance between the supply of electricity and demand.

Ofgem estimates that as a result of these policies, households could be paying up to 25 per cent more each year just to subsidise this folly. Fuel poverty will increase and jobs will be lost as companies needing large amounts of energy will shift to other countries offering more reliable and cheaper supplies of electricity.

ALAN J BLACK

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh

The assertion by economist Tony Mackay that the SNP government wants to see all of Scotland’s electricity needs produced from renewable sources, is simply untrue.

In May, the SNP gave a commitment to generate the “equivalent” of 100 per cent of Scotland’s own electricity demand from renewable resources by 2020.

By then, the intention would be to generate twice as much electricity as Scotland needs – just over half of it from renewables – with Scotland exporting as much electricity as she consumes.

ALEX ORR

Leamington Terrace

Edinburgh

When reading Scottish Renewables’ contribution to the debate on renewables, let us never forget that it is a trade body representing the wealthy landowners, developers and power companies raking in vast amounts of subsidy, some of it from the pockets of those already suffering from fuel poverty.

You rightly suggest in your editorial that doubts are cast on the SNP’s commitment to cutting carbon emissions by its failure to give wholehearted support to the Edinburgh trams project.

Is the SNP similarly disinterested in the dire straits that those struggling to meet their fuel bills find themselves in?

JOHN MILNE

Ardgowan Drive

Uddingston