5th January 2017 | Commercial Energy
WWF Scotland have analysed official government data to reveal that the average ‘climate impact’ of generating a unit of electricity in Scotland is now only half the UK average.
This impact has fallen by almost two-fifths (38%) between 2010 and 2014, the most recent years for which figures are available.
WWF and others are now calling on the Scottish Government to now aim to repeat this significant achievement in the power sector across other sectors of energy use, including heat and transport.
WWF’s analysis findings
• The ‘climate change impact’ (measured as gCO2/kWh) of generating a unit of electricity in Scotland in 2014 was 196gCO2/kWh, compared to 400gCO2/kWh for the whole of the UK – a difference of 204gCO2/kWh (or 51%)
• The ‘climate change impact’ of generating a unit of electricity in Scotland fell from 318gCO2/kWh in 2010 to 196gCO2/kWh in 2014 – a decline of 122gCO2/kWh (or -38%)
• The ‘climate change impact’ of generating a unit of electricity for the entire UK fell from 457gCO2/kWh in 2010 to 400gCO2/kWh in 2014 – a decline of 57gCO2/kWh (or -12%)
WWF Scotland’s Climate and Energy Policy Officer Fabrice Leveque, said, “Thanks to the Scottish government’s leadership on renewables policy, the climate impact of producing electricity in Scotland has fallen rapidly and is now half that of the whole of the UK.”
“The transformation in the way we produce our power is helping Scotland harness the many economic and social benefits of shifting to a zero-carbon future.
“But electricity accounts for just one quarter of our energy use, so if we’re to meet our future climate impact targets, the Scottish Government must build on the progress made in the electricity sector to set a 50 per cent renewables target for all our energy needs, across electricity, heat and transport sectors, by 2030.”
More information available on the website below
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/news/scotland-leads-minimizing-uk-electricitys-climate-impact/