100% Renewables is possible
Scotland has been at the leading edge of the renewable electricity revolution and is one of the first countries in the world to generate the equivalent of 100% of its electricity from renewables.
Now that milestone has been reached, the Scottish Greens believe that Scotland and the UK should aim for 100% renewable energy for everything - heat, transport and electricity.
Studies have shown that a 100% renewables scenario is not just feasible, but would be cheaper than an energy scenario that also includes carbon capture and storage and nuclear, with a major study concluding that it would save over £100 billion between now and 2050.
In December 2023, the Fraser of Allander Institute reported that the number of jobs supported by Scotland’s renewables sector grew by over 50% in one year, showing the huge potential in the sector.
Speaking ahead of a visit to a wind farm built on the site of a former coal mine in West Lothian today, Lorna Slater, Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens said: “100% of our energy coming from renewables is essential for our planet, and it could also save the public billions compared to relying on false solutions like carbon capture and storage.
“It would be a huge opportunity for our climate, but also for our economy. Scotland has an abundance of renewable resources and we need to put them at the heart of our energy plans.
“That is why we are proposing a Green New Deal that would see £28 billion of public investment every year, funded by taxes on polluters and the top 1% of wealthiest households. Investment is critical if we are to be at the leading edge of the global renewables revolution and deliver a robust, secure and cheap energy system for all.
“In recent years we have seen rapid technological development. Heat pumps now offer an extremely efficient alternative to gas boilers, energy storage solutions are coming online, and electric cars are rapidly pushing out the old-fashioned internal combustion engine.
"The costs of green technologies are plummeting too. The price of solar panels has come down by 90% over the last decade, threatening to make fossil fuel alternatives obsolete.
“It’s inexplicable that instead of embracing green solutions, Labour and Tories are doubling down on nuclear power, which is costly, dangerous and leaves a long and toxic legacy.”
From the Scottish Greens manifesto
Within the first year of the next Parliament the next UK Government must introduce a £28 billion per year Green New Deal investment programme to reverse this decline and turbo charge our green industries. This should include:
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Enhanced public subsidies and tax benefits for uptake of green technologies, including energy efficiency retrofits and renewables.
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Conditionality on domestic supply chain investments: subsidies should only be granted where manufacturers are investing in the UK. This is essential if we are to secure further private investment in, for example, battery and wind turbine component manufacturing in Scotland.
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A new programme of of investment in landscape scale restoration of our degraded natural environment, including expanding native woodlands and restoring peatlands
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Additional direct investment into skills and innovation, supporting colleges and universities to train workers for the economy of the future.
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Environmental taxation, such as a carbon land tax and an incineration tax, to both accelerate the transition and help pay for the Green New Deal programme.
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Taking a more proactive approach to green technology innovation to drive the green industrial revolution, including reviewing research and development tax credits to ensure companies evidence investment in green innovation.
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New and innovative low emission interventions for hard-to-abate CO2 producing technologies like cement-, iron- and steel production must be invested in through research and piloting of emerging technologies. Furthermore, the recycling of used concrete, iron and steel as well as reuse of other valuable resources must be streamlined and incentivised all over the country.
