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SUPPORTING RENEWABLE ENERGY
4. The Scottish Ministers' commitment to increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources is a vital part of the response to sustainable development and climate change imperatives. This commitment also recognises the ability of renewable energy to contribute to secure and diverse energy supplies and its potential to support economic growth. The Executive's strategy for renewable energy is set out in Securing a Renewable Future: Scotland's Renewable Energy. 4 This confirms a target of 18% of electricity generated in Scotland coming from renewable sources by 2010, rising to 40% by 2020. Progress towards these targets is being driven by the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) which obliges electricity suppliers to provide an increasing proportion of their electricity generated from eligible renewable sources.
5. The Executive's 2010 target has been met. The intention of this SPP is to facilitate successful achievement of the 2020 target, and beyond. In 2005, the Scottish Ministers re-confirmed the 2020 target, quantifying it as 6 GigaWatts ( GW) of installed renewables capacity, and confirmed that this figure should not be regarded as a cap on development. The Executive's expectation is that during the currency of this SPP sufficient developments should be consented, at minimum, to enable achievement of the 2020 target several years ahead of schedule.
6. The Executive's policy is that its 2020 target should be met by a range of renewable technologies. Hydro and onshore wind power are currently making the most significant contribution. This is expected to continue although these technologies will increasingly operate as part of a renewables mix as other technologies come on line. Biomass is also a proven technology which will contribute to current targets. Other technologies may have the potential to contribute more significantly to the overall generation mix in the longer term. This will include energy from waste and landfill gas and technologies not covered by the land-use planning system, such as offshore wind, wave and tidal. The Executive will continue to support these renewable energy technologies, working through the Forum for Renewable Energy Development Scotland and in discussion with key stakeholder groups.
7. The Scottish Ministers are also keen to see a major increase in the smaller-scale production of heat and electricity from renewable sources. While much of the forecasted activity in this sector may take place at a domestic level (through micro wind turbines, woodchip boilers, heat pumps and solar heating), there is also significant potential for decentralised energy supply systems and small, medium and large scale biomass heating plants for businesses, public buildings and community/housing schemes. Some of these issues will be considered in more detail in the Renewable Heat Strategy for Scotland, which is due for publication at the end of 2007
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