27
people attended. The meeting was chaired by David Somervell (Sustainability Adviser to Edinburgh
University. Mark Ruskell (Green MSP) sent
his apologies and Nick Gott (Green Party) stepped in, along with Penny Cole (Broad Alliance Against Unconventional
Gas Extraction) and Callum Macleod (Our Forth - Portobello).
______
1. Presentation by Nick Gotts
(RIC Edinburgh, Scottish Green Party Policy Committee and Energy Policy Review Group)
Renewable Energy for Scotland, and the Scottish Green Party
Outline
Disclaimer – I’m a late stand-in for Mark Ruskell MSP, and
I’m not speaking for the Scottish Green Party, just giving some basic
facts plus some of my own views.
• Context
• Current
energy consumption and near-future trends in Scotland
• Current
Scottish Green Party energy policy (and what needs changing)
_____
Context
• Greenhouse
gases, Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), ocean acidification
• Need
for secure, affordable energy for all (35% of Scottish households are
fuel-poor)
• Climate
Change Act (Scotland) 2009
• Paris
agreement enters into force in November: fine aspirations, very weak on action
• New
Scottish Government Energy Strategy: 14 new pieces of legislation planned
• New
Climate Bill at Holyrood:
– Draft
Climate Change Plan “3rd Report on Policy and Proposals”, January
2017
– Consultation
March-April 2017
– Bill
“later in this Parliament”
_______
Current (2013) Energy Production and Consumption in Scotland
• Production:
– 88%
oil and gas
– 73%
of all primary energy exported
• Consumption:
– 144
TWh in total – down 14.1% from 2005-7 (target was 12% down by 2020, but…)
– 21%
electricity, 54% heat, 25% transport
– Excluding
transport:
•
41% of energy use is domestic
•
59% is
industrial/commercial
_________
Renewable Shares and 2020 Targets
2014 share 2020 Target
Electricity 49.6% 100%
Heat
2.7% 11%
Transport
3.9% 0%
Total 13.1% 20%
_______
Non-renewable electricity sources
• The
majority of this is from the nuclear power stations at Hunterston and Torness.
– These
are beyond their designed lifespan, and are not likely to last more than
another 10 years.
– They
have to be run at full power to be efficient
• The
other big contribution is from the gas-fired power station at Peterhead
• The
last Scottish coal-fired power station, Longannet, closed in 2016
______
Renewable Electricity Sources
Total 2015 Renewable Electricity Output 21,760 GwH, made up
as follows:
• Wind
13,899 GwH
• Hydro
5806 GwH
• Biomass
1866 GwH, consisting of:
– Landfill
gas 503 GwH
– Sewage
sludge digestion 26 GwH
– Other
biomass 1337 GwH
• Solar
Photovoltaic 187 GwH
• Marine
(wave/tidal) 2 GwH
Source:
DECC Energy Trends section 6, table ET_1.xls
_______
Current Scottish Green Party Energy Policy:
General Principles
We believe that sustainable energy policy should provide due
regard to the total environmental, social and economic impact both on todayʼs
generation and generations to come. All people should have fair access to the
energy they need to meet their basic requirements, whilst minimising the
negative environmental impacts of energy provision and maximising employment in
the green economy. To achieve this, we will reduce Scotlandʼs
overall demand for energy to a sustainable level, and will obtain that energy
from an integrated mix of non-polluting, renewable sources. Support will be
provided to develop renewable electricity and renewable fuel for heating and
transport, both nationally and for use within homes and communities.
Source: Policy Reference Document 2016-06-06
_______
Current Scottish Green Party Energy Policy: Main Points (1)
• Strategic
Energy Agency, and Strategic Plan of Resources
• Reducing
demand
• Energy
rationing: cap-and-trade system
• Ending
fuel poverty:
– National
Retrofit Strategy,
– living
wage, citizen’s income, reformed tariffs
– tight
regulation of suppliers
– smart
meters
_________
Current Scottish Green Party Energy Policy: Main Points (2)
• Replacing
fossil fuels:
– renewable
energy targets based on SEA
– redirection
of funding from nuclear into R&D for renewables especially transport and
heat
– Green
Investment Bank
– Bans
on fracking, underground coal gasification, coal-bed methane
– Moratorium
on opencast coal (sustainable jobs needed for sustainable communities), new
oilfields
• Decentralised
and public supply network
– Maximum
local control, reform of planning system
– Reduction
of transmission losses
• Continued
export of electricity
________
Current Scottish Green Party Energy Policy: Main Points (3)
• Phase
out nuclear a.s.a.p.
• No
incineration of waste for power
• No
biofuels for transport
• Reducing
oil dependency
– (Moratorium
on new oil fields)
– Work
toward Zero Oil Import Target
– Depletion
protocol
_________
Scottish Green Party Energy Policy – Main Gaps
• Just
Transition
– 2016
manifesto promise to create 200,000 jobs in “sustainable industries”
– Briefly
mentioned in PRD under “Workers’ Rights”
– Not
discussed under “Energy”
• Specifics
on how and when fossil fuel use will be reduced:
– Especially
considering nuclear phase-out
– Intermittency
of many renewable sources
– Need
to replace gas-fired heating of buildings
– Need
to replace petrol and diesel in road transport
• Returning
energy generation to public/community ownership
• Behaviour
change
_________
Future Renewables: Electricity
• Onshore
wind is still growing fastest
• Offshore
wind, wave and tidal, biomass all have huge potential
• However,
intermittency is the key problem
– Storage:
pumped hydro, batteries (including domestic, electric cars), other technologies
– Larger
and smarter grids
– Demand
management (domestic and industrial)
_________
Future Renewables: Heat and Transport
• Heat:
– Better
insulation
– Combined
heat and power
– Switch
to electric heating
• Transport
– Electric
vehicles
– Hydrogen?
– Biofuels?
– P2G,
artificial photosynthesis?
____________
