The flurry of records set by the UK's renewable energy industry in recent days has continued, with confirmation Scotland's wind industry smashed output records last year.
An analysis by WWF Scotland of data provided by WeatherEnergy revealed that wind generation rose 16 per cent last year to 10,392,439MWh, delivering enough power for 97 per cent of Scottish households or 2.34 million homes.
The news came as leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas called on the government to lift planning restrictions that are stopping the company from delivering wind farms that could potentially operate without recourse to subsidy.
The WWF analysis shows that wind farms in Scotland delivered enough power to supply over 100 per cent of Scottish households during six of the last 12 months. Moreover, December set a new monthly output record of 1,352,399MWh of electricity, with enough wind power provided to meet the electrical needs of 148 per cent of Scottish households or 3.59 million homes.
Wind turbines generated enough power to supply over 100 per cent of Scottish households on 29 out of the 31 days of December, WWF said.
"Without doubt, 2015 was a huge year for renewables, with wind turbines and solar panels helping to ensure millions of tonnes of climate-damaging carbon emissions were avoided," said WWF Scotland's director Lang Banks. "With 2016 being a critical year politically, we'd like to see each of the political parties back policies that would enable Scotland become the EU's first fully renewable electricity nation by 2030."
He added that there was now compelling evidence that renewables are one of the dominant players in Scotland's energy industry.
"On average, across 2015, wind power generated enough to supply the electrical needs of 97 per cent of Scottish households, with six months where the amount was greater than 100 per cent," he said. "And, in the tens of thousands of Scottish households that have installed solar panels, half or more of their electricity or hot water needs were met from the sun for the most of the year, helping those homes to reduce their reliance on coal, gas, or oil."
The new data follows similar updates for the whole of the UK, suggesting the renewables industry smashed output and energy share records during December and 2015 as a whole.
It also comes as the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas, warned that the government is blocking the development of a new generation of onshore wind farms that could provide power at a lower cost than fossil fuels.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Vestas Wind Systems chief executive Anders Runevad warned stringent UK planning restrictions were stopping the country from taking advantage of new cost effective wind turbines.
"We can compete in a market-based system in onshore wind and we are happy to take on the challenge, so long as we are able to use our latest technology," he told the Daily Telegraph. "The UK has a tip-height restriction of 125 meters and this is cumbersome. Our new generation is well above that."
Runevad added that over the last 20 years wind energy costs "have come down by 80 per cent, while falling 50 per cent in the US since 2009.
Much of the cost reduction has resulted from the development of larger and more efficient turbines, but UK planning guidelines, while not outlawing larger turbines outright, effectively stops turbines that are more than 125 metres tall from being approved.
Industry insiders fear the guidelines could block the development of new onshore wind farms even if developers succeed in drawing up plans that allow them to deliver projects that do not need subsidies.
Last year, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd announced plans to "halt" subsidies for onshore wind farms. But she also expressed hopes that some projects could proceed without recourse for subsidy, revealing a number of developers were talking to the government about plans for subsidy-free wind farms.
However, Vestas and others are now warning that height restrictions and other planning requirements make it extremely unlikely that such projects will proceed.
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