Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
6.2.8 The report Scotland's Renewable Resource (Scottish Executive, 2001) considered a range of
available renewable energy technologies, examining associated development constraints and
costs. The key conclusion referring to onshore wind development was that the resource is
widespread and is the cheapest of the technologies considered. On the basis of cost,
onshore wind energy can be expected to contribute to the bulk of near-term government
targets.
6.2.9 Therefore, wind power is considered to have many benefits over conventional energy
sources.
Policy Drivers for Renewable Energy Development
6.2.10 In addition to these environmental and economic benefits, as discussed in Chapter 5:
Planning Policy Overview renewable energy is supported by national policy (in particular the
Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and Scottish Planning Policy) and by a range of
international and national targets.
6.2.11 The EU, UK and Scottish governments have published policy and legislation to support the
need to reduce carbon emissions. Details of these are provided in Chapter 5: Planning
Policy Overview. A brief summary of recent policy and legislation relevant to Scotland is
provided below.
6.2.12 The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 requires Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions to
be at least 80 % lower in 2050 compared with 1990 levels (known as the “2050 target”),
including an interim target that requires emissions to be 42 % lower by 2020 compared with
1990 levels.
6.2.13 The Scottish Government issued the Climate Change Delivery Plan, entitled ‘Meeting
Scotland’s Statutory Climate Change Targets’ in June 2009. The Plan sets out the high level
measures required in each sector to meet Scotland’s statutory climate change targets to
2020 as set in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009; and the work to be done over the
next decade to prepare for the more radical changes needed by 2030 if the 80 % emission
reduction target is to be achieved.
6.2.14 For the electricity sector, targets have been set for the percentage of electricity demand,
which requires to be obtained from renewable energy sources by 2020. The current target,
which was set by the Scottish Government in May 2011, is for 100 % of Scotland’s gross
annual electricity consumption to be generated from renewable sources by 2020.
6.2.15 The Scottish Government issued the Renewables Action Plan (RAP) in June 2009. The RAP
identifies what needs to happen in the renewables sector and by when in order to meet the
Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets..
6.2.16 The 2020 Routemap for Renewable Energy in Scotland was published in July 2011 and
updates and extends the Scottish Renewables Action Plan to reflect the challenge of the
Scottish Government’s new targets for renewable energy. The Routemap identifies that the
Scottish Government has committed to meeting the EU’s 2020 renewable energy target of 20
% by setting a new target to source 30 % of energy demand from renewables by 2020. This
is further broken down into 100 % electricity; 11 % heat; and 10 % transport fuels. This 20 %
target goes beyond the legally binding 15 % target that the EU has set for the UK and reflects
the higher level of potential and the Scottish Government’s greater ambition for renewables in
Scotland.
March 2013 6-3 ES Chapter 6
Climate Change and Atmospheric Emissions
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