For the first time in Scotland’s history, renewables outpaced other power sources to become the country’s largest source of energy for the first half of 2014. An analysis done by the Scottish Renewables trade group shows that energy from hydro power, wind farms and other green technologies produced almost a third more power than nuclear, coal or gas during the first six months of this year – a total of 10.4 terawatt hours of electricity.
According to Nial Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, the record marks “an historic” moment for the renewable energy industry along with a major milestone for the Scottish government’s plans to produce 100 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020. “The announcement . . . shows the investment made in the sector is helping to deliver more power than ever before to our homes and businesses,” Stuart said in The Guardian. “This important milestone is good news for anyone who cares about Scotland’s economy, our energy security and our efforts to tackle climate change.”
The Scottish Minister of Business, Energy and Tourism, Fergus Ewing added that the recent numbers show the potential of renewable energy to replace nuclear power. “The fact that energy from renewables has exceeded that from nuclear in the first half of 2014, highlights the vast potential of renewable generation to provide safe, secure and cost-effective means of electricity generation,” Ewing told The Guardian. “It is vial that the appropriate support for renewables in Scotland is maintained following the introduction of electricity market reform in the UK.” He noted that the country is hoping to set a full 12-month record for renewable power output for 2014.
Source: http://inhabitat.com/renewable-energy-is-outpacing-nuclear-power-as-scotlands-top-power-source-in-2014/
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