Scotland’s solar capacity has risen by almost 1/3 within the past year according to new statistics that have been released. With more than 35,000 homes and close to 600 businesses that have installed solar photovoltaic systems, it seems as though solar panel power is the way of the future.
The sum of all the capacity of the installed solar energy system within Scotland has risen to 140 megawatts during 2014, which sees a huge jump of 32% compared to the end of 2013 (106 megawatts). This increase is even more substantial when compared to that of the mere 2 megawatts in 2010.
According to WWF Scotland, Lightsource Renewable Energy and Solar Trade Association, Scotland has experienced a 6900% increase in solar PV capacity since the year 2010.
Scotland energy companies want more from government
Many green energy companies are asking the Scottish government to do the right thing by aiding homes and businesses to harness the power of the sun for energy utilisation.
“The total installed solar capacity may be small when compared to wind energy, but together these solar panels are helping to prevent thousands of tonnes of climate-damaging emissions being emitted every year,” said Lang Banks; director of WWF Scotland.
Banks also reiterated that solar energy may deployed quite easily and efficiently within towns and cities where wind turbines may not function properly. The best part about renewable energy is the fact that solar power is complimentary to wind and is able to share site and grid connections, once again saving on both time and money.
The two dominate renewable sources in Scotland to work together
According to WWF Scotland, wind energy also experienced exponential growth during 2014, with wind turbines supplying close to 8,958,130 MWh of power to the National Grid. This amount of energy is enough to supply the electrical demands of 98% of Scottish residential households or in other numbers close to 236 million households.
The Solar Trade Association also supported WWF’s call for increased support of solar initiatives; “The Scottish Government has provided world class leadership on renewable energy so we urge them to throw their weight behind solar too.”
Solar empowering everyday people to take control of energy usage
“No other energy technology has delivered the scale of cost reductions seen in solar and no other technology has empowered such vast numbers of everyday people to take control of their power supply. It is vital to retain this momentum,” said the Association’s Leonie Greene.
Kate Baxter, from solar supplier Lightsource Renewable Energy echoes the calling of other green organisations. The company has already identified close to 70 potential sites to mount ground solar PV farms in the country.
She said: “Advances in solar PV technology have seen increased efficiency of panels and reductions in manufacturing costs, making solar PV a viable power source to add to Scotland’s overall energy mix. To ensure Scotland has opportunity to benefit from solar energy as the UK has, we need Scottish ministers to use whatever powers are at their disposal to influence energy policy in support of solar technology deployment.”
Photo by: Mike Baker on Flickr
