Scots annual renewable generation exceeds consumption

Scotland generates more electricity from renewable sources than the country’s total annual consumption, new figures show.

It is the first time that renewable generation has outstripped consumption.

The Scottish Government’s delayed annual subnational gas and electricity consumption data shows that both electricity and gas consumption in 2022 saw year on year falls – of 4% and 8% respectively.

Gross consumption of electricity across the year was the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s renewable sources, an increase of 26 percentage points compared to 2021, according to Energy Statistics for Scotland. The previous highest figure for the proportion of Scottish consumption from renewable sources was 98.6%, recorded in 2020.

The Scottish Government is continuing to monitor progress on the proportion of electricity consumption generated from renewable sources, which was an official target until 2020.

The figures showing an excess of renewable generation in Scotland have been published as concerns grow that the country’s generation will have to be curtailed due to constraints on the grid across the border with England, where demand consistently exceeds supply.

Overall consumption of electricity in Scotland dropped by 4% in 2022 compared to the previous year. Electricity consumption decreased 9% and 1% in the in the domestic and non-domestic sectors respectively compared to 2021.

The same year saw gas consumption decrease by 13% in the domestic sector and 0.5% in the non-domestic sector compared to 2021.

Provisional results for energy productivity show that Scotland’s energy productivity in 2022 was 14% higher than in 2015. This was due to an increase in the Gross Value Added of goods and services across the Scottish economy, combined with a decrease in energy consumption in 2022.

Responding to the figures, Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack, said: “These record-breaking figures are a major milestone on Scotland’s journey to net-zero, clearly demonstrating the enormous potential of our world-class renewable energy resources.

“We know that increasing clean energy generation leads to significant benefits for our economy with Scotland’s renewable energy industry and supply chain already supporting more than 42,000 jobs and an economic output of over £10.1 bn.

“However, with electricity demand set to rise significantly in the years ahead, we must continue to swiftly deploy renewable energy projects at scale. Not only will this provide clean, cheap energy for Scotland’s homes and businesses but also support our wider heat and transport decarbonisation ambitions.

“Maximising capacity in Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 this year will be vital to that effort, alongside enabling the critical infrastructure and investment needed to deliver a truly home-grown clean energy system.”