Sustainable Energy Development in Scotland - Report Example

Sustainable Energy – Scenario of Scotland Introduction Worldwide, many economies have been relentlessly striving for furthering the scenario where usage of sustainable sources of energy becomes the order of the day, with decreased dependence on conventional energy. As a matter of fact, many technologically advanced countries are displaying high levels of success in these endeavors of theirs’. That a substantial drop in the level of dependence on traditional energy sources has been registered in these societies warrants no special mention. Globally, over the past few decades, there has been an excess use of conventional forms of energy such as petrol, diesel, etc, and owing to it, these resources are slowly but surely getting depleted. Also, it was this very scenario (excess use of conventional fuel) that played a major role in depleting the ozone layer and thus paving the way for the Greenhouse Effect. This in turn has led to severe repercussions in the form of increased global warming and climatic imbalances, amongst others. All these vital factors propelled the global community in commencing the quest for sustainable forms of energy that minimize the use of traditional fuels, along with addressing the all-important aspect of environmental preservation. Owing to these efforts, the usage of environmentally sustainable sources of energy is witnessing a noteworthy rise, on a global basis, with the same trend being all the more prominent in developed countries. Introduction - Sustainable Energy in Scotland The geographical location of Scotland has gifted the country with abundant sources of energy, owing to which, there is a constant potential of further growth for the Energy industry (of Scotland). During all phases, Scotland has consistently been amongst the global leaders in the realm of Energy. (1) (Scottish Enterprise, ND) Owing to availability of rich natural resources, coupled with committed endeavors from the government and other institutions, Scotland’s sector of sustainable energy has been displaying a substantial growth, since the preceding few years. The Country’s noteworthy progress in the avenue of Sustainable Energy encompasses tidal power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy and solar energy, amongst many others (1) (Scottish Enterprise, ND) At this juncture, it would be highly apt in having a look at some implementations in Scotland that pertain to renewable energy. Renewable Energy – Projects in Scotland Over the past few years, Scotland has been achieving phenomenal success in evolving technologies of renewable energy. The same is attributable to the various initiatives taken by the government and other institutions that go on to effectively address the all-important aspect of innovation. Owing to all these committed actions, Scotland is now marked by the presence of many prestigious projects of sustainable energy, elevating the country to the position of a leader in the worldwide industry of renewable energy. It would be worthwhile in shifting the focus onto some of these ventures, which speak volumes about not just the technological growth of Scotland, but also about the country’s commitment towards safeguarding the environment. (2) (Hienergy, 2010) Solar Energy: Recently, the Highland Council, which is the biggest provincial authority of the zone, unveiled thirty two ventures pertaining to usage of solar energy. Most of these implementations were in schools spread across the region. An example of this being the Glenelg Primary School located on the western coastline, where solar panels are being used for enabling the classrooms in getting a sustainable form of energy. Likewise, the Alness-based Albyn Housing Association, situated in East Ross, has installed solar panels for new residential dwellings. Owing to this, these homes would be experiencing a drop in costs related to heating, along with availability of hot water. (3) (Hienergy, 2010) Wind Energy: The Kilbraur Wind Farm is based at Kilbraur, in Strath Brora, Sutherland. The Wind Farm, which obtained the required government approval in 2006, is now equipped with nineteen turbines of 2.5Mw each, with their height being about 115 meters. The total capacity of the wind farm is sufficient to generate sustainable form of electricity to about 27,000 residences, and thereby substantially minimizing the dependence on traditional forms of energy. It is stated that, had a conventional power station been established instead of this wind farm, the atmosphere would have been grievously polluted by the release of Carbon dioxide to the tune of about 107,000 tonnes. The ownership of this wind farm is held by Kilbraur Wind Energy Limited, which belongs to Falck Renewables Ltd. This particular venture resulted from the joint efforts of West Coast Energy Limited and RDC Scotland. (4) (Energy4All, 2010). Wave Energy: Scotland is on way to becoming the home for the globe’s first ventures of wave and tidal energy, with the forecast being that these projects are equipped with the capacity to generate power for about 750,000 residential establishments. These projects are situated on the Pentland Firth, which is in the proximity of Ornkey Islands, and away from the coastline of the country’s mainland. The Crown Estate projected that these projects would be generating electricity to the tune of 1.2 GW (gigawatts), and the total cost of the ventures is projected to be about £5 billion that also includes a tax burden of about £ 1 billion on the citizens of the country. The Crown Estate’s Chief Executive, Mr. Roger Bright, anticipates that all these ten ventures would bring about a four-fold rise in the quantity of electricity generated, when compared with the previous nuclear station of Dounreay. Amongst these projects, six have been earmarked for usage of wave energy and the other four for utilization of the tidal source, with 600Mw of electricity being the generating capacity of all the ten implementations. A major chunk of the work on these projects shall be under the supervision of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), E.ON and Scottish Power Renewables – the leading players of Scotland’s Power Sector. (5) (Telegraph.co.uk, March 17th 2010). Geothermal Energy: The geothermal energy project of Southampton resulting from an alliance between private and public sector, got underway in as early as 1986, and is the biggest and the first community energy venture of Scotland. The project carries out extraction of water that is found in sandstone rocks present about 1700 meters below the city’s land. The water is heated up to 74 degrees centigrade as per geothermal process, ensuring that fifteen percent of the entire heat input of the venture is attributable to it. The balance of the required heat is produced jointly by a combined heat & power plant and a single plant, and in the process, efficiency higher than a traditional power station is displayed. The hot and cool water is supplied to the residents of the city by means of a sophisticated network of pipes, which is also equipped with a standby capability ensuring unhindered water supply. With the passage of time, this venture has been constantly developing. The International Energy Agency projected that this project has immensely helped the cause of environmental safety, by enabling a scenario of a drop in carbon emissions to the extent of 11 kilotonnes, on an annual basis. Subsequently, the heating system of Millbrook Community has also been included under the purview of this project, whereby, a total of about 5400 establishments – both residential and official – would be benefited. (6) (Scottish Parliament, July 2006). Biomass: RWE npower renewables has initiated its highly sophisticated biomass heat and power plant. This plant, which involves a total investment of £ 200 million, is located in Fife, at Markinch, and is the biggest venture of RWE in the realm of power generation that is based on biomass. This project is inclusive in the company’s committed endeavors of making investments to the tune of about €1 billion in the all-important avenue of sustainable energy. The project would begin with a total capacity of 50 megawatts, and would be taking the place of the present coal-based power plant of Tullis Russell. The announcement on this project was made in July 2008, and almost immediately thereafter, it obtained a funding of £8.1 million from Regional Selective Assistance Grant of the Government of Scotland. The primary spadework of the project has already got underway, with the actual construction projected to commence in the second half of the current year. Also, it is estimated that this power plant would be bringing about a substantial decline of about 72 percent in the carbon content at Tullis Russell, and thereby contributing significantly in minimizing Scotland’s overall yearly emissions of carbon. Recently, RMW has appointed the Finland – based Metso and Aker Solutions of Norway as its major contractors, who would be ensuring the speedy progress of this plant. (7) (Renewable Energy Sources, February 2010). Hydroelectricity: Scotland has been striving in the sphere of hydroelectricity since many decades, as is evident by the fact that some of the country’s hydroelectric plants have been in existence since nearly the past five decades. The Achanalt Hydroelectric Plant, which is located in Ross-Shire and is operated by Scottish and Southern Energy, started functioning in 1962. The Plant has a configuration of 1*3 MW, and pertains to the Conon Project. A weir spanning over River Bran, a little powerhouse close to Bran Waterfalls and a headrace tunnel of 200m, are the vital features of this plant, which is nearby Grudie Bridge. (8) (h-net.org, June 2008). Hydroelectricity: Likewise, Allt na Lairige Hydroelectric Plant too is a prominent one of its kind in Scotland. This plant, which is also operated by Scottish and Southern Energy, has been generating electricity since 1956. Allt na Lairige is with a configuration of 1*6 MW. This project utilizes water of upper Glen Fyne that is located towards the rear side of a dam having a height of 24m. The Allt na Lairige is situated in Argyllshire. (8) (h-net.org, June 2008). Future Directions All the implementations discussed above vividly focus on the achievements of Scotland, in the sector of Renewable Energy. Notwithstanding that, the country strongly feels that it is yet to realize its total potential in the pursuit of sustainable energy. The government, various institutions and private sector companies of Scotland, to cite a few, are propelled by the objective of bringing about a scenario where 18% of the entire electricity generation of Scotland is attributable to renewable energy, by the year 2010. (9) (Scotland.gov.uk, ND). Additionally, topmost priority is being accorded also to the objective of ensuring that, by the year 2020, around 40% of the total electricity generation in the country is attributable to sustainable sources. (9) (Scotland.gov.uk, ND). The ROS (Renewables Obligation (Scotland)), which came into being in 2002, has made it mandatory for all distributors of electricity in the country, to make sure that a substantial portion of the electricity supplied by them is derived from sustainable sources. This particular measure of ROS is for enabling the country in attaining the targets mentioned in the first paragraph of this section. (9) (Scotland.gov.uk, ND). The Government of Scotland recognized that it is just next to impossible for all the above goals to be achieved solely by the actions initiated by the state. The government strongly opines that realization of the targets is possible only when there is active involvement of competent players from the private sector. Hence, it (government) is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that a right ambience is created for the private sector, whereby, there shall be ample scope for utilization of sophisticated technologies. That all these sophistications would be contributing significantly to the realm of sustainable energy warrants no special mention. (9) (Scotland.gov.uk, ND). In this connection, Scotland is in the process of forming a forum that includes experts from diverse avenues, whose expertise would just go on to give added strength to the country’s sector (renewable energy). (9) (Scotland.gov.uk, ND). These are just few of the numerous future directions for Scotland’s Sustainable Energy Industry, as a brief report such as this one cannot accommodate all of them (directions). Nonetheless, the targets related to the years 2010 and 2020, mentioned above, are amongst the most pivotal goals propelling both the public and private sector entities of Scotland, not to mention the various initiative measures of the state. Conclusion This report is a sincere attempt of presenting the current developments and trends in Scotland, pertaining to the sector of Renewable Energy. More or less similar trends can be attributed also to all other developed economies of the globe. From the perspective of the alarming points stated in the “Introduction” of this report, it is heartening to be noting that many countries have now fully realized about the seriousness of aspects such as Greenhouse effect and depletion of conventional fuel resources, amongst many others. And the fact that all these countries have initiated strong actions for combating the vital issues projects an optimistic picture of the future, more so in terms of minimization of environmental pollution. At the same time, it also needs to be noted that most of the developing economies are still lagging behind in usage of sustainable energy sources, and are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels for their energy requirements. Limited financial strength, inadequate technologies and lack of skilled manpower, etc, are some of the major hindrances for these comparatively poor countries. Even after taking into consideration all these impediments, it can be still maintained that even the developing countries could start moving ahead in the avenue of sustainable energy. The advanced economies, which have already attained phenomenal success in their pursuits of renewable energy sources, should be extending all possible assistance to the Third World countries. As a matter of fact, this aspect is highly vital, for the problems such as depletion of fossil fuels and global warming can be totally eliminated, only when the entire globe becomes a combined force. And this cannot be possible when the developing economies are unable to contribute towards the cause. SOURCES 1. Scottish Enterprise (ND), Scottish-enterprise.com, scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/your-sector/sector-energy/energy-background.htm, ND 2. Hienergy (2010), Pioneering Renewable Energy Projects, hi-energy.org.uk/Projects/projects.html, year accessed 2010. 3. Hienergy (2010), Energy Sectors, hi-energy.org.uk/Sectors/solarenergy.html, year accessed 2010. 4. Energy4All (2010), Kilbraur Wind Energy Co-operative, energy4all.co.uk/energy_projects.asp?ID=PRO18&catID=11, year accessed 2010. 5. Telegraph.co.uk (2010), World’s first wave and tidal energy projects for Scotland, academia-research.com/faq.htm, date accessed 17/03/2010. 6. Scottish Parliament (2006), GEOTHERMAL HEAT IN SCOTLAND, scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-06/SB06-54.pdf, Internet, Scottish Parliament, accessed July 2006 7. Renewable Energy Sources (2010), Contract Milestone for Scotland’s largest biomass power plant, renewable-energy-sources.com/2010/02/04/scotlands-largest-biomass-power-plant-update/, accessed February 2010. 8. H-net.org (2008), Hydroelectric Plants in Northern Scotland, industcards.com/hydro-scotland-n.htm, accessed June 2008. 9. Scotland.gov.uk (ND), Securing a Renewable Future: Scotland’s Renewable Energy, scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47034/0014765.pdf, ND. Read More