ELECTRICTY generated by wind power has leapt by 15 per cent in the last year, enough to power nearly four in Scots households, a new report claims.
WWF Scotland's survey has also found that homes fitted with solar panels soak up enough sunshine to provided 70 per cent or more of an average household’s electricity or hot water needs.
Solar panelled homes in Dundee fared best for sunshine-generated electricity, with 95 per cent of their household power naturally created.
And in Inverness, over four fifths of hot water needs were generated by solar panels in homes which have had them installed.
The findings have been revealed in WWF's analysis of wind and solar data provided by WeatherEnergy, which compiles daily and weekly statistics for renewables from dozens of locations across the UK.
The details have prompted WWF to call on whoever wins this week's Scottish elections to bring forward an new energy strategy that takes Scotland to the “next level” in its use of renewables.
They have also prompted the SNP, who are likely to form the next Holyrood administration, to call on the UK Government to stop “pulling the rug from underneath a flourishing industry”.
Karen Robinson, of WeatherEnergy, said: “After a relatively slow start to the year, Scotland’s wind power output is back on the up thanks to some powerful winds during the month.
"Similarly, as we move toward summer, solar power is beginning to play an increasing role for those homes and businesses that have fitted solar panels. It won’t be long now before the average home with panels will be able to meet all its electricity or hot water needs for the month from the sun.”
According to the report, wind turbines in Scotland provided 699,684MWh of electricity to the National Grid, enough to supply the electrical needs of 79 per cent of Scottish households, the equivalent of 1.9 million homes. It said this represented an increase of 15 per cent compared to that of April 2015, when wind energy provided 608,601MWh.
The survey found wind turbines generated enough electricity to supply 100 per cent or more of Scottish homes on eight out of the 30 days of April, while there was enough sunshine to generate an estimated 87 per cent of power in an Edinburgh home, 86 per cent in Aberdeen, 84 per cent in Glasgow, and 83 per cent in Inverness.
Meanwhile, for homes fitted with solar hot water panels, there was enough sunshine to generate 80 per cent of an average household’s hot water in Dundee, 78 per cent in Aberdeen, 76 per cent in Glasgow, and 74 per cent in Edinburgh.
Statistics published by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change in March showed well over half of Scottish electricity consumption came from renewables in 2015, 7.7 per cent ahead of the 50 per cent target.
WWF Scotland’s director Lang Banks said: “It’s not just the election campaigning that heated up last month, so did Scotland’s renewable power output.
“Thanks to many years of political and public support, Scotland’s renewable industries today support thousands of jobs and help us to avoid a million tonnes of carbon dioxide every month.
"If we’re to move to the next level in the global shift to a zero-carbon society then the next Scottish Government must bring forward an energy strategy that ensures Scotland is the first EU nation to have a completely renewable electricity generation system by 2030.”
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