Way to go Scotland!
According to official figures, Scotland has now met a key target for renewable energy consumption. Statistics published by the UK Department of Energy and Climate change showed that 57.7 percent of all electricity consumption in Scotland came from renewable energy sources in 2015. The figure was 7.7 percent above their original set target of 50 percent for 2015.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) welcomed the recent figures. In a statement to the press, the deputy first minister for Scotland and the campaign director for SNP, John Swinney, said, "The SNP have long championed green energy and these new figures show the huge progress we have made — but we are determined to go even further.”
“As we set out in Parliament earlier this month, the SNP is developing an ambitious and long-term Scottish energy strategy, which, if re-elected, we will implement over the next parliament and beyond.”
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"The strategy will aim to make electricity cleaner, affordable and more secure for all consumers," Swinney continued.
Photo credit: Christopher Jones/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The fifty percent mark has already been achieved by countries like Uruguay, which already generates 94.5 percent of all its energy from renewable sources. In February 2016, the UK government gave the green light for another ambitious project that will oversee them constructing the world’s largest offshore, floating wind farm. The project should be completed by 2020, and will largely contribute to the UK’s renewable energy production.
The director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Scotland, Lang Banks, told The Herald, "It's fantastic news to learn that Scotland has continued to grow its use of renewables and now generates well over half of its annual electricity needs from clean energy sources.
"Independent research has shown that it is possible for Scotland to have a secure, efficient electricity system, based on almost entirely renewable electricity generation, by 2030. Embracing that vision would maximise the opportunities to create new jobs, empower communities and support local economic renewal throughout the country."
We are ecstatic to see Scotland make huge progress in switching from destructive fossil fuels and moving towards cleaner, more sustainable energy sources. Now, we can only hope that other countries around the world will soon follow their lead!
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