Payments to turn off fossil fuel stations ‘six times more than wind’

The amount paid to switch off fossil fuel power stations such as coal and gas are “six times greater” than payments made to wind generators. That’s according to the head of trade group Scottish Renewables who is calling for greater transparency around these constraint payments. All types of electricity generation get incentives if they are […]

New strike price for onshore wind in Scottish islands

Onshore wind farm developers on Scottish islands will be given cash incentives to build more turbines, Energy Secretary Ed Davey has confirmed. Subsidies for onshore wind projects in the islands of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles would be higher than the rest of the UK at £115 per megawatt hour (MWh). Mr Davey said […]

Scottish planning policies could ‘jeopardise renewables sector’

New planning policies proposed by the Scottish Government could jeopardise progress towards green energy and climate change targets and rule out wind power throughout “most of the country”. The comment from Scottish Renewables comes as the Government closed its consultation on a revised National Planning Framework and Scottish Planning Policy yesterday. They include restrictions on […]

Scots favour wind twice as much as nuclear or shale gas

Scots by far prefer renewables to nuclear or shale gas according to a new survey of attitudes towards energy. The YouGov poll suggests 62% of people in Scotland would be generally for large scale wind projects in their local council area, more than double the number (24%) who said they would support shale gas. Nuclear was […]

Scottish renewables on track to top £1bn investment

Scotland could get more than £1 billion worth of investment for renewable energy this year. Figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change showed investment in Scotland’s renewable energy industry was more than £900 million in the first six months of 2012. Earlier this year, DECC also revealed Scotland beat its target of generating […]

Multi-million pound Scottish fund for renewables

The Scottish Government has launched a £103 million fund which will target private investments towards renewable energy. Speaking at the Scottish Low Carbon Investment conference, First Minister Alex Salmond said the Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF) is open to investors who are seeking finance apart from the UK’s Green Investment Bank (GIB). The GIB will provide […]

Calls for end to “speculation” over onshore wind support

The chief of Scottish Renewables has called on the Government to put an end to uncertainty over funding for onshore wind. The energy boss recently came head to head with American billionaire Donald Trump about wind farms in Scotland – which were near a planned golf course Mr Trump is investing in. Now Niall Stuart […]

Scottish Renewables unveils more than 11,000 employees in energy sector

Scotland’s renewable energy sector employs more than 11,000 people, according to Scottish Renewables. The energy trade body claims to have assessed more than 200 companies across the wind, wave, tidal and solar sectors and found there are 1,526 people employed in renewable energy development. Another 8,701 work in the direct supply chain and 909 are […]

Cutting edge wind group see Scottish potential

Vattenfall, Technip and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), the joint venture partners behind the Wind Deployment Centre in Scottish waters – the 11-wind turbine European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off Aberdeen Bay have submitted their consent application to Marine Scotland. The application seeks permission for work to commence on the construction and operation of the […]