Renewables
Renewable energy and battery storage
Renewable energy generation is a source of clean and inexhaustible energy. Renewables differ from fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) principally in their diversity, abundance and potential use anywhere on the planet. Importantly they produce neither greenhouse gas (a major contributor to climate change) nor polluting emissions.
To limit global warming and tackle climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that global human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases will need to reach ‘net zero’ by 2050.
The Scottish Government has declared a climate emergency. By 2030, the Scottish Government aims to generate 75% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption from renewable sources and, by 2045, they aim to reach net zero. To meet these targets, the Scottish Government has set out ambitions for 8–12 GW of new operational onshore wind power by 2030.
In addition to the wind turbines, the Proposed Development will include a battery energy storage facility (BESS). This will be used to store electricity produced by the wind turbines and will contribute to smoothing out variances between electricity demand and available resource. BESS can also be used to provide services to help stabilise local electricity network operations.
Emission payback
The Scottish Government has supported the development of a carbon calculator for wind farms[1]; this tool estimates the time that it will take for the Proposed Development to payback the emissions produced during its construction; through the generation of zero carbon electricity that replaces fossil fuel generated electricity in the grid. The results of this assessment will be reported in the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) being prepared.
Energy security and energy prices
The Scottish Government’s Onshore Wind Policy[2] sets out a clear priority to seek greater security of supply and lower cost electricity, alongside the need to tackle climate change, which is why we must accelerate our transition to a net zero society.
Generating our own supply of energy and using battery technology will improve energy security, and onshore wind provides the cheapest form of renewable energy generation, particularly as Scotland’s wind resource is some of the best in Europe.
The design of electricity systems still need to catch up with the role of renewable energy, and this is recognised by the UK Government and Scottish Government who have plans to make the grid more ‘renewable ready’ to ensure far more renewables can go into the grid at reduced cost.