Scotland’s Renewable Energy Sector in Numbers
Scottish Renewables has compiled the key statistics on the development of Scotland’s renewable electricity sector from a variety of government and industry sources in order to track the industry’s growing contribution to our energy needs, our economy and our environment.
These statistics are updated on a continuous basis as new data becomes available. While this report only relates to electricity production, we are working on a set of similar statistics for renewable heat in Scotland.
This page contains statistics relating to the following areas:
Chart 1: Total Installed Capacity of Renewable Electricity in Scotland 2007-2012
Chart 2: Current Installed Capacity of Renewable Electricity (End 2012)
Chart 3: Pre-operational Capacity of Renewables Projects
Chart 4: Electricity Consumption and % Renewables Output
Chart 5: 2012 Renewable Electricity Output by Technology
Chart 6: Electricity Generation in Scotland by Fuel
Capacity
Scotland’s renewable electricity capacity has shown steady growth over the last few years with the average annual capacity increase over 600MW since the end of 2007.
Chart 1: Total Installed Capacity of Renewable Electricity in Scotland 2007-2012
Source: Historic Regional Statistics (DECC) and DECC Energy Trends
Chart 2 sets out the current mix of renewable electricity generation capacity in Scotland. With the total now over 5.8GW, the sector has more than doubled in size since the end of 2007. Onshore wind is the biggest single technology, accounting for over 60 per cent of installed capacity, while hydro and biomass Scotland’s other major sources of renewable power.
Chart 2: Current Installed Capacity of Renewable Electricity (End 2012)
Source: DECC Energy Trends
There is significant additional capacity in development across Scotland, with projects either in planning or already consented total over 13GW. Again, capacity increases in the short term will come from onshore wind, with over 3.9GW of capacity already consented. In the longer term, over the next decade, we are likely to see major increases in offshore wind, with almost 4GW in planning and a further 6GW of identified potential which has yet to enter the planning system. There is also 560MW of biomass plants at various stages of development and 1.6GW of potential wave and tidal projects agreed with The Crown Estate that are yet to formally enter the planning system.
Chart 3: Pre-operational Capacity of Renewables Projects
Source: Scottish Government - Renewable Planning Statistics - Summary Tables
Output
The growing capacity of renewables has translated into a significant increase in renewable electricity output, up from 8,215GWh in 2007 to 14,646GWh in 2012 – a 78 per cent increase in five years.
Chart 4 shows that renewable electricity generation is now equivalent to approximately 38.69 per cent of Scotland’s electricity consumption (based on gross consumption figures being equal to those in 2011). The last official figures, from 2011 were well ahead of the Scottish Government’s 2011 target of 31 per cent, reaching 36.26%.
Chart 4: Electricity Consumption and % Renewables Output
Source: Scottish Government - Energy Statistics Summary
Chart 5 shows output from different sources in 2012. Onshore wind generated more than half of all renewable electricity output in Scotland.
Hydro power contributed almost one third of renewable electricity output, and while although other technologies such as biomass and marine energy currently make a smaller contribution, they have massive potential for growth in the future.
Chart 5: 2012 Renewable Electricity Output by Technology 
Source: DECC Energy Trends
Chart 6 shows that the proportion of the country’s power generation from renewables has also grown significantly in recent years – up from 17 per cent in 2007 to 26 per cent in 2011.
Chart 6: Electricity Generation in Scotland by Fuel
Source: Energy Statistics Database (Scottish Government)
Jobs and Investment
Scottish Renewables produced the first comprehensive study of employment in the renewables sector in Scotland, with the results showing that the industry is directly supporting more than 10,227 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts in project design, development, operation and its supply chain. In addition there are around 750 posts in renewable energy development and research in our Further and Higher Education institutions, and some 150 employees involved in renewables in the public sector. This gives a total of 11,136 FTE posts in renewable energy in Scotland. Chart 7 breaks these down by technology.
These results show that onshore wind is the largest employer by generation type. It should be noted that the majority of employment in grid and in multiple sectors is also supported by the development of onshore wind.
Chart 7: Renewables Jobs in Scotland 2011/12
Source: Delivering the Ambition: Employment in Renewable Energy in Scotland (Scottish Renewables)
These results show that onshore wind is the largest employer by generation type. It should be noted that the majority of employment in grid and in multiple sectors is also supported by the development of onshore wind.
The sector continues to be an important driver of investment at a time of slow or negative economic growth. The value of investments in projects commissioned in each year can be estimated using the total additional capacity in each technology multiplied by estimates of capital cost per MW.
Using this methodology, the table shows projects with a total capital cost of £1547.9m were commissioned in 2012.
Table: Total Renewables Investment in Scotland in 2012
Source: Capacity figures from DECC Energy Trends and capital cost estimates from Mott McDonald: Costs of Low Carbon Generation Technologies
Emissions
Renewable energy is one of the best tools we have to combat climate change. As the proportion of renewable electricity in Scotland grows it gradually displaces the need to generate electricity from polluting fossil fuels, reducing total carbon emissions. The chart below sets out estimates of CO2 emissions displaced by renewables from 2007 to 2011.
In 2011 renewable electricity generation displaced approximately 8,364,000 tonnes of CO2, equal to around 15 per cent of Scotland’s carbon emissions in 2010, the most recent year for which carbon emission statistics are available.
Chart 8: Emissions Reduced by Scotland’s Renewables Electricity Output
