Scottish Government

Increase renewable electricity production

DESCRIPTION:

The indicator is the amount of renewable electricity generated in Scotland as a percentage of Scottish gross electricity consumption, where consumption is the amount of electricity generated minus net exports (but including losses).

SOURCE:

Data is collected and published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Renewable generation data (numerator of indicator) are published quarterly in DECC’s Energy Trends publication. A provisional estimate of annual generation is available in the June issue.

Gross consumption data (denominator of indicator) are only published annually in the December issue of Energy Trends. Revisions for the previous year are published alongside the latest year.

Energy Trends is a National Statistics publication.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/energy-trends

Data including revisions over the whole time series (since 2000) are published on the Scottish Government website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/seso/Q/TID/18

The indicator is the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources, expressed as a percentage of gross electricity consumption in Scotland.

Indicator = electricity generated by renewable sources/(total electricity generated - electricity exported + electricity imported) multiplied by 100.

The indicator is updated twice annually:

• June – uses provisional latest annual generation figure and previous year’s consumption (as proxy).

• December – uses final annual generation and consumption figures.

DEFINITIONS:

Electricity generated in Scotland is electricity generated in Scotland by both those producing electricity to sell to others and autogenerators (companies producing electricity mainly for their own use). Scottish gross electricity consumption is the amount of electricity consumed which is computed as total electricity generated less exports plus imports.

Renewable sources of electricity include on and offshore wind, wave and tidal, hydroelectricity, solar energy, solid renewable sources and gaseous renewables. Solid renewable energy sources include wood, straw, short rotation coppice, other biomass and the biodegradable fraction of wastes. Gaseous renewables consist of landfill gas and sewage gas, as well as synthetic gas produced using the biodegradable portion of mixed wastes. Non-biodegradable wastes are not counted as a renewable source. Electricity generated from hydro pumped storage is not counted as a renewable source.

BASELINE AND PAST TRENDS:

The baseline year is 2006 - the 2006 baseline figure is 16.9%.

Electricity generated by renewables as a percentage of gross consumption:

CRITERIA FOR RECENT CHANGE ARROW:

This evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 1.5 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.

For information on general methodological approach, please click here.

FUTURE ISSUES OR REVIEWS:

No issues.

ASSOCIATED TARGET:

Scotland's national target for the production of electricity from renewable sources is to generate the equivalent of 100 per cent of electricity consumption by 2020. The interim target of 50 per cent by 2015 has been met. End point: 2020 data point.

The renewable electricity target is one of a suite of energy targets related to renewable energy, as set out in the draft Scottish Energy Strategy: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00513466.pdf