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Supporting Renewable Energy
2. The Scottish Ministers are fully committed to increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. This commitment recognises the ability of renewable energy to contribute to secure and diverse energy supplies; tackle the causes of climate change; and its potential to support economic growth. The Executive's strategy for renewable energy is set out in Securing a Renewable Future: Scotland's Renewable Energy. This confirms a target of 18% of electricity generated in Scotland coming from renewable sources by 2010, rising to 40% by 2020. Progress towards these targets is being driven by the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) which obliges electricity suppliers to provide an increasing proportion of their electricity generated from eligible renewable sources.
3. Renewable generating capacity already installed, plus consented capacity not yet built, is likely to be sufficient to meet the Executive's 2010 target assuming, as seems likely, that the bulk of the consented capacity is operational by 2010. The intention of this SPP is to facilitate successful achievement of the 2020 target, and beyond, in an environmentally acceptable manner. In 2005, the Scottish Ministers re-confirmed the 2020 target, quantifying it as 6 GigaWatts ( GW) of installed renewables capacity, and confirmed that this figure should not be regarded as a cap on development. In considering their contribution to national targets, planning authorities should take into account the Executive's expectation that during the currency of this SPP sufficient developments should be consented, at minimum, to enable achievement of the 2020 target. Despite the 2 to 3 years needed to construct and commission projects following consent, this should still allow Scotland to meet its 40% renewable generation target several years ahead of 2020.
4. The Executive's policy is that its 2020 target should be met by a range of renewable technologies. Hydro and onshore wind power are currently making the most significant contribution. This is expected to continue although biomass is also a proven technology which can contribute to current targets. Other technologies may have the potential to contribute more significantly to the overall generation mix in the longer term. This will include energy from waste and landfill gas and technologies not covered by the land-use planning system, such as offshore wind, wave and tidal. The Executive will continue to support these renewable energy technologies, working through the Forum for Renewable Energy Development Scotland and in discussion with key stakeholder groups.
5. The Scottish Ministers are also keen to see a major increase in the small-scale production of heat and electricity from renewable sources. While much of the forecasted activity in this sector may take place at a domestic level (through micro wind turbines, woodchip boilers, heat pumps and solar heating), there is also significant potential for small to medium scale biomass heating plants for businesses, public buildings and community/housing schemes.
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