Offshore wind resources in the North Sea will create thousands of jobs and boost Scotland ‘s ambitions to be a world leader in renewable energy through a plan unveiled at COP 26 in Glasgow.

The alternatives to oil are already apparent. The transition to a green economy will remove the demand for almost all oil based products.

With independence, Scotland could manage a just transition from economic dependence on fossil fuels. And take our rightful place at the heart of developing renewables to power the world.

Renewable energy holds the key to powering Scotland’s future. Our country is so richly blessed with prized natural resources. It is well-placed to become a key player in the sector. 

Low-cost offshore wind farms (OWFs) would increase both energy security and GDP.

Subsidising the high-cost OWFs would benefit energy security but not the economy.

Limited negative impacts on seafood sectors by the OWF expansion were identified .

We calculate that the carbon intensity of the heat produced is 9.7–14.0 kg(CO2e) MWh which is 4.9–7.3% of the emissions from heat from natural gas. These values are compatible with Scotland's plans for long term decarbonisation of heat in line with national emission reduction obligations and would likely be compatible with any country's decarbonisation goals.

The study suggest that the Midland Valley [of Scotland] represents a viable option in Scotland for the exploitation of the majority of low-carbon GeoEnergy resources.

No new oil and gas fields can be approved for development.  Given the right policies, a just transition can generate more than three jobs in clean industries for every North Sea oil job at risk

Energy – electricity, heating and transport fuel – is crucial for the modern Scotland we live in. But it can also be one of our biggest threats if we don’t get them right. It can harm our environment and play a major role in causing the climate crisis.  ‘Energy inequality’ can harm the health of those who can’t afford to heat their homes. Scotland is one of the few countries in Europe which does not own its energy publicly and the only one that doesn’t  own its own National Grid. 

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Scotland is not well served by the UK’s National Grid and the current system restricts the development of Scotland’s renewable energy potential and leads to high charges for Scottish consumers.

This response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the future of energy in Scotland calls for a publicly owned energy company to generate and deliver energy to the people of Scotland.

This paper

― Recognises the huge economic contribution North Sea Oil and Gas have made to the Scottish economy

― Urges the Scottish Government to add a “just and fair transition” of jobs to the low carbon economy as a priority, and to seek alternative sectors using the skills base and domestic supply chains we have. Alternative sectors are likely to include offshore renewable generation and on-land infrastructure (e.g. district heating, for which we currently import the pipework) as well as decommissioning mature oil wells.

― UK energy policy since 1980 has failed Scotland. It has led to the six largest energy companies seeing profit margins rise 4.48% since 2016, with 34.9% of households in Scotland currently facing fuel poverty.

― The Scottish Government should invest in energy infrastructure and electric vehicles to meet 75% of overall energy demand by 2030.

Energy Infrastructure

― Scotland has only captured 0.06% of marine energy potential. The Scottish Government should boost R&D in wave and tidal technology, with an aim to capture 25% of marine energy resource by 2030.

― Common Weal strongly disagrees with the proposal to end export and generation tariffs for renewable energy on 31st March 2019.

― Doing so will be irrevocably harmful to the renewable industry with the solar industry likely to be badly affected.

― It will slow progress on carbon emission reduction, particularly in England.

― Eliminating the tariffs will not significantly reduce energy costs for consumers who don’t directly benefit from them – research has shown they only contribute to bills by approximately £1 per household per year.

― The aims of the European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which requires EPCs to be produced for all new buildings and those being sold or rented out, are fundamentally sound and should serve to drive improvements in energy performance. However, in Scotland and the UK, the method by which EPCs are produced are fundamentally flawed. In particular, this is due to the reliance on using modelled energy consumption data rather than actual (measured) data.

―  We have identified no examples of low-carbon heating being taken up on a large scale without government assistance.

― The primary barrier to the roll-out of low carbon heat is financial. Efficient schemes like renewably powered district heating will have to be government financed.

― Without significant government planning, individual households are likely to decarbonise their heat using heat pumps which, while an improvement over fossil fuels, have significant downsides – not least, their collective impact on the electrical grid.

― The Scenarios presented overestimate the number of electric cars likely to be in use in Scotland by 2050 due to underestimating the rise of home working, car sharing, internet shopping and public transport.

― Electric vehicles should be as discouraged from city centres as internal combustion vehicles will be. Instead, the focus should be on public transport and active travel.

This independent report to the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council gives: