IT'S not been a good year for the renewable energy sector in Scotland as Peter Swindon's exposé of the Scottish Government's curtailment of the Renewable Energy Generation Relief Scheme (“Green energy relief scheme for firms axed”, The Herald, December 23) demonstrates.
Renewable energy must now be added to the Scottish Government's current travails in health, education and transport - with a list of missed opportunities and broken promises.
The UK Government at least heralded their proposed abandonment of onshore wind in their manifesto even if it didn't include the premature end of the Renewables Obligation (RO) therein. The Scottish Government has no such excuse.
While criticising UK Government Ministers and maintaining the pretence of support it has first either given away powers to set a separate Scottish RO as previous Scottish Governments did – or bluntly opted not to exercise them – and now seeks to impose this additional obstacle to renewables growth in Scotland under its very own budget proposals.
Having failed to act in support of the sector on Scottish Renewables Obligation Certificates it has now decided to add its own penalty on top of the UK Government's.
Fortunately the House of Lords has forced the UK Government to reappraise its plans for the premature end of the RO – due in no small part to the actions of Scottish Lords Foulkes and Wallace– by removing Clause 66 from the Energy Bill and we can only hope Scottish opposition parties can now force a similar rethink by Scottish ministers of this damaging proposal in the SNP budget.
The future growth of renewable energy in Scotland is inextricably linked to the future growth of a low-carbon economy – particularly in light of the oil price collapse – and this ill-considered decision requires to be revisited when the proposed Scottish budget comes under parliamentary scrutiny early next year.
Warm words on climate change targets will no longer suffice, the renewable energy sector is too important to Scotland's future economy to be treated with such cavalier disregard.
Allan Wilson,
44 Stoneyholm Road, Kilbirnie.
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