Friends of the Earth claims report proves case for renewable energy
Coal-fired power stations like Longannet in Fife could be a thing of the past, claims Friends of the Earth.
Longannet power station.
- By Paul Reoch
- Published in the Courier : 17.12.10
- Published online : 17.12.10 @ 03.52pm
The environmental pressure group believes Scotland could phase out all conventional thermal power by 2030, maintain a secure electricity supply and generate revenue from renewable exports. This is according to new research by energy consultants Garrad Hassan.
Longannet at Kincardine is the second-largest coal-fired station in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. At full capacity, it can produce enough electricity to meet the needs of two million people.
Longannet drew up design and development studies as part of the competition to build one of the world's first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plants and has been left the only contender to capture and permanently store emissions at its plant.
But its future may be in doubt, according to Friends of the Earth. It has published The Power of Scotland Secured, with backing from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It sets out how Scotland could guarantee security of supply, while 'decarbonising' half its total energy needs by 2030.
Demand
Friends of the Earth Scotland chief executive Duncan McLaren said, "We already know that renewables can grow to comfortably exceed our electricity demand by 2020.
"What this report shows is that, contrary to popular myth, the variability of renewable power need not pose a threat to the reliability of our supply in Scotland.
"This report shows conclusively that we do not need the proposed new coal-fired power station at Hunterston. Scotland should concentrate on saving energy and turning our huge renewables resource into green energy and green jobs.
"These new results should be used as strong election promises by any political party serious about Scotland's place in the future global economy."
The research considers what infrastructure would be needed to meet peak demand in Scotland, assuming the simultaneous failure of the two largest transmission lines connecting Scotland to the rest of the UK grid, combined with zero output from onshore wind, offshore wind, wave generation, run-off river hydro, and tidal over a multi-day period.
Investment
Aedan Smith, head of planning and development with RSPB Scotland, said the report "demonstrates that it is possible to deliver a clean and secure energy supply for Scotland without endangering Scotland's environmentally sensitive sites."
"We urge the Scottish Government to encourage investment in clean energy technologies which can be delivered without endangering important environmental interests," he added.
Dr Sam Gardiner, of WWF Scotland, said, "Reducing electricity demand must be at the heart of the planned transformation of the UK electricity market and strengthened in the Scottish Budget by committing greater efforts to energy efficiency."
A spokesman for Scottish Power, which runs Longannet, said, "Longannet is part of the UK Government's competition to provide carbon capture storage and that would be the world's first CCS project of this kind.
"We are also working towards providing low-carbon emissions from a coal-fired station."
09.05am - 21.12.2010 Andrew Sinclair - Perth, Scotland Report This
These claims only work on spreadsheets. If the wind doesnt blow you need fossil fueled or nuclear plants whether they happen to be on this side of the border or south is simply geography.
Add a comment