Scottish Renewables, a trade body, urged Holyrood ministers to press ahead with the ambitious goal for electricity, heat and transport following a “landmark” year for renewables in Scotland in 2016.
“Many of these achievements are being driven by Scotland’s existing renewables and climate change targets, but with significant challenges facing the sector and a need to set out a clearer path, the time is now right to extend our horizons beyond 2020,” said Scottish Renewables director of policy Jenny Hogan.
“In particular, a new target for at least 50 per cent of Scotland’s energy needs to come from renewable sources in 2030 would enable us to continue to build on the economic and environmental benefits our industry is already delivering.”
In its 2016 Holyrood election manifesto, the SNP said it would “seriously and carefully consider” the proposals put forward by Scottish Renewables and the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Green Party both gave their full support to the new target in their manifestos.
“The Scottish government’s planned new energy strategy gives us a chance to make the radical changes required in both if we are to get anywhere close to meeting our future climate change targets,” added Hogan.
Despite significant progress in the power sector, Hogan said Scotland has “only just begun” to address the challenges of decarbonising of the heat and transport sectors.
New figures released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in December revealed that renewables met nearly 60 per cent of Scotland’s electricity demand in 2015.
However, the most recent figures from the Scottish government covering 2013 showed that the power sector accounted for little more than a fifth of final energy consumption compared to around a quarter for transport and more than half for heat. Just under 4 per cent of the energy used for transport came from renewable sources and for heat the figure was less than 3 per cent.
Scottish Renewables was joined by environmental campaign group WWF Scotland in pushing ministers to commit to the new target. WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “Analysis has shown that a 50 per cent renewables target for all our energy needs by 2030 is not only needed, but that it is achievable. Ministers should now make this a Scottish government target and bring in the policies needed in its forthcoming energy strategy.”