Scottish Energy 2020?

The analysis presented in the Institution's latest report was undertaken in response to the Scottish Government's declaration that by 2020, 20% of the total energy demand in Scotland would be met from renewable resources.

This exceeds the 15% target that the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009) requires the UK to meet as a whole.

More recently the Government also announced that 100% of electricity generation will come from renewables by the same date.

The Institution's findings suggest that the original renewable energy target split for Scotland of 50% electricity, 11% heat and 11% energy for transport, making the overall 20%, and subsequent revision of the electricity generation target to 100%, did not appear to be supported by a rigorous engineering analysis of what is physically required to achieve a successful outcome in the timescale available.

During the research for this report, First Minister Alex Salmond announced that the Scottish Government had increased the overall percentage target for energy from renewable sources to 30% by 2020. In light of this report's analysis, this aspirational target appears to represent an ambition that cannot be justified from an engineering perspective.

In the absence of a credible publicly presented plan to deliver Scotland's renewable energy at the scale required, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers considers here what these targets mean from an engineering viewpoint.

The full report by the Institution can be accessed by clicking on the link(s) at the bottom of this page.