Alternative Energy

[Copperfield]

Scotland too reliant on wind for energy
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=751322004

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

Key points
• Committee says too much reliance on wind power for renewable targets
• Members say more concentration on wave and tidal power needed
• Executive target of 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020

Key quote
"New technologies such as wave and tidal power have been neglected and all the investment has gone into developing onshore wind farms. This policy is hugely controversial in rural Scotland, where communities have felt under siege from a proliferation of planning applications for wind farms" - Murdo Fraser, Energy Committee member

Story in full ENERGY policy in Scotland is far too reliant on onshore wind farms to try and meet the country’s renewable targets and should instead shift the focus to other forms of green electricity generation such as wave and tidal power, a report has stated.

The new report, by Holyrood’s Enterprise Committee, severely criticises the Executive’s approach to renewables and calls for a more balanced approach to energy policy to ensure Scotland becomes a leading economy for the development and production of marine renewables.

Just as the advantage Scotland held in the development of wind technology 25 to 30 years ago was allowed to let slip to competing economies such as Denmark, so the same could happen with wave and tidal technologies (in which Scotland is currently leading the way) without greater incentives, the report stated.

Committee convener Alasdair Morrison said: "It is clear the Executive will meet its target of 18 per cent of electricity production from renewable sources by 2010.

"However, almost all of this comes from onshore wind. This is neither sustainable nor sensible."

To solve the problem, which the report said was "unintentionally working against the development of renewable energy sources other than wind", it calls on the Executive to create a comprehensive Scottish energy policy in co-operation with Westminster.

This would shift the focus from large onshore wind farms to other forms of renewable power. The main tool for doing this should be a change to the current Renewable Obligation schemes to provide the incentives lacking.

The report said: "Opportunities and potential benefits ... are so great that the Executive should be prepared to invest significantly in the sector. It should be treated as a priority sector ... and the full range of business support mechanisms should be brought to bear on its development."

It also warned the Executive’s long-term target of 40 per cent of electricity coming from renewables by 2020 must not be met entirely from large-scale onshore wind farms. Substantial shortcomings in the current planning system for wind farms were also highlighted, and the Executive was again chided for a lack of guidance and leadership.

The report called for the Executive to develop a national strategic framework for wind farm applications, and to discuss with local councils how this could be achieved at a local level.

Several organisations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Green Party, have been calling for such a framework for more than a year now, but were informed each time by the Executive that the current system was satisfactory.

Although he did not address many of the criticisms in the report, deputy enterprise minister Lewis McDonald said the Executive supported and promoted a range of green energy developments, including tidal, wave, biomass and solar power.

He said: "There is more wind energy development in Scotland at the moment because the technology is more advanced.

"We are confident we can meet our 18 per cent target of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 mainly through wind and hydro, and expect other renewable energy developments to come forward in due course."

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, a member of the committee, claimed the report contained serious criticisms of the Executive.

He said: "New technologies such as wave and tidal power have been neglected and all the investment has gone into developing onshore wind farms.

"This policy is hugely controversial in rural Scotland, where communities have felt under siege from a proliferation of planning applications for wind farms."