Can Scotland’s renewable energy sector become a viable energy source for the entire

country?

Sam Tarvet

Contents• Scotland as a country - lots of natural resources• Scotland’s policy and promise – 2020. Compare and contrast with Europe policies• Renewable Energy – scientific standpoint. Mention Comenius• Scotland’s wealth of resources = hydro, solar, wind and others w/ Statistics on current

state of them• Developments being made in anticipation of 2020.• Hydroelectric movement 2012 – 20,000 new jobs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17061075• Other developments in Scotland- off-shore wind, biomass, geothermal.• Government debates in 2011 – money spent• Comenius Project – my involvement, France trip. Own results.• European problems with nuclear energy- Japan crisis – Scotland’s accelerated pace.• My view = situation has become corrupted by politics? Talking about it will only

prolong its finishing. • Institutes of Mechanical and Civil Engineers’ doubts over 2020 target = unrealistic

expectation.• If Scotland could achieve the target = more jobs, much safer energy sources. (carbon

footprint = practically 0) Leading light in a new era. First country ever to be fully independent of fossil fuels.

Scotland - A wealth of natural resources.

Scotland has incredible potential.• ¼ of Europe’s tidal/offshore wind power.• 1/10 of Europe’s wave power.• Strong winds.• Surprisingly high sunlight levels.• Intricate river network.

2020 Promise

• The Scottish Government has set the target of 100% of our electrical energy demands to come from renewable sources by 2020.

• Already been revised upwards three times.• As it stands, 32% already comes from

renewable energy.

Can it be done with just eight years to go?

Renewable energy

• ‘‘Energy generated by natural resources which are theoretically inexhaustible and free of fossil fuels.’’

• ‘‘The capacity of a physical system to perform work.’’Energy can be produced through solar, wind, biomass, tidal, hydroelectric and geothermal means.

Energy Sources in Scotland

• Like all countries in the EU, Scotland is looking to minimise its carbon emissions (NREAP requirement).

• Thus coal and nuclear plants are coming to an end. Energy in Scotland currently comes from a variety of sources, and at least initially, they will all be required to keep up with Scotland’s energy demands.

• The most prominent sources of energy are wind, wave, solar, hydroelectric and tidal.

Wind Energy in Scotland• ‘‘With 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential, the

manufacturing, supply chain, job creation and training opportunities present Scotland with huge scope for sustainable economic growth.’’

• Wind energy in Scotland can come from either the installed wind farms onshore or the new offshore projects recently developed or in development.

• 1367 turbines across 117 sites (2.4 GW) installed and operating.

• 36.5 GW estimated in Scotland, leaving roughly 34 GW that can still be harnessed.

Solar Energy in Scotland

• A solar panel system set up in Inverness measured over the course of 2011.• This represents the power output of a 2.3 kWp panel system. The system is quoted as the lowest power output value at which it can function.• kWp is kilowatt-peak = 1000W/m2

Hydroelectric Energy in Scotland• 10% of Scotland’s current total energy generation.• Scotland’s hydroelectric power capacity is currently little over 1.4

GW, but an update on the 2008 Hydro Resource Study estimates a further 1.2 GW worth of hydro schemes is achievable.

• The 100MW Glendoe Project is likely to resume energy generation later this year after a period of inactivity. It is also likely to be the last large scale hydro scheme in Scotland ever.

• There are plans to produce the further 1.2 GW through 7000 new ‘run of river’ projects. These are designed to be small (100kW-1MW capacities).

Hydroelectric Energy in Scotland

The advantages of smaller ‘run of river’ schemes

Comenius Project

• Linking schools in Scotland, France, Germany and Italy with the intention to study and learn about each other's renewable energy sectors.

• Visit to France – learnt from various presentations that all member states of the EU made National Renewable Energy Action Plans in 2010.

• Germany’s 2020 target = 18%• France’s 2020 target = 20%• Italy’s 2020 target = 17%• Our target = 100%