RENEWABLES
Government policy, high energy prices and the remote location of many properties mean Scotland is leading the way in the use of renewables. Contractors are benefiting too
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Breaking new ground
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il may have been the story of Scottish energy over the past 50 years, but renewable energy could well be the story of the next half-century. Renewables are already the single largest contributor to electricity generation in Scotland, accounting for just under 54 per cent of the total. Between 23 and 26 December 2016, Scotland’s wind turbines alone generated more electricity than was used in Scotland on those days. The European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney is also a world-leading centre for testing wave power energy generation. Of course, most Connections readers will not be working on large offshore wind-farm installations or experimental wave energy projects. But in recent years more electrical and heating service companies in Scotland have increased their involvement in renewables. There are some good reasons for this. The Scottish government wants renewable energy to generate the equivalent of 100 per cent of gross annual electricity consumption and 11 per cent of heat consumption by 2020; and it wants low or zero-carbon energy sources to account for at least half of Scotland’s energy consumption by 2030. Some contractors in Scotland have contributed to larger-scale wind projects. Lotus Electrical Services, based at Kirkgunzeon in Dumfries, has worked with German energy technology specialist Isoblock to install mid-voltage connections between turbines and local substations for a number of wind-farm projects throughout the UK. Other contractors have completed smaller-scale installations. Onshore wind projects completed by Absolute Solar and Wind, a contractor based in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, include single turbines at a site on the Isle of Mull, at AG Barr’s bottling plant in Cumbernauld, and for Glenskinno Biofuels in Montrose.
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