Scotland Generated 97% of its Energy From Renewable Energy
In 2011, Scotland set an environmental goal to generate 100% of its gross electricity consumption from renewables by 2020. And since then, has actively expanded its wind energy generation. However, the country did not meet its goals.
Instead, it came incredibly close, and in 2020, 97.4% of the country’s energy came from renewable sources.
According to the report, 71% of gross electricity is generated from wind energy. With 60.3% coming from onshore wind, and 10.7% coming from offshore wind. In total, the wind energy sector has grown by 82% since 2005.
However, the country is not satisfied yet. By 2030, Scotland hopes to generate 50% of the its total energy from renewables.
Gross Electricity Demand Vs. Total Energy
Now you might be wondering what exactly is the difference between gross electricity demand and the total.
Energy is generated in a variety of ways. For instance, not all cars are electric. In fact, not many are. Instead, these cars burn fossil fuels to generate the energy they need to operate correctly.
The same idea is true of the heat market.
Many older homes are not equipped with electric heaters. Instead, they operate with gas-powered ones. This energy is factored into the total energy usage but is not for the gross electricity demand.
It takes a considerable amount of work, money, and time to quickly transition away from such things.
Thus, even though the country can meet nearly all of its electricity demand using renewables, not all of the demand needs raw electricity. And this is exactly what the 2030 goal is aiming for.
It’s the Fifth Country to Achieve This
Scotland will join a small group of countries that have achieved 100% electricity generation via renewable energy. That is assuming they can achieve 100% in 2021, which is almost assured.
The other four countries on this list include Albania, the Congo, Iceland, and Paraguay.
How Did Scotland Achieve this in Nine Years?
Climate change has been on the world’s mind for years. Some countries have been very proactive about it, while others, like China, have only gotten worse.
Yet this raises the question, how could Scotland achieve this?
Scotland has built a robust wind energy infrastructure. In 2020, it was able to generate 31.8 TWh of renewable energy. Or to put this another way, it generated enough energy to power every house in Scotland for nearly 3 and a half years.
In reality, it is all thanks to its location. Scotland is in the perfect position to capitalize on wind energy. In fact, Scotland is the windiest country in Europe. No other country in the region can match it.
After all, it is expected to start generating more energy than it needs this year.
Scotland has Amazing Potential for Tidal Power
While the government has focused on wind energy, it also has tremendous potential for tidal energy. As the name implies, tidal power utilizes the power and movement of the tides to generate electricity.
And Scotland happens to once again, be in the perfect location to harness the power.
However, the technology still faces many challenges. It is currently not mainstream like wind and solar. Yet, in the future, it may end up being more reliable than both.
After all, the tides are extremely consistent and predictable, unlike wind and solar.
Robert has been following and writing about environmental stories for years at GreenGeeks. He believes that highlighting environmentally friendly practices can help promote change in every household.
