Report shows Scotland forging
Scottish islanders are leading the way in the UK when it comes to having green energy technology in their homes.
New industry data has revealed that Orkney and the Western Isles are the top spots for schemes such as solar panels and ground-source heat pumps. Scotland as a whole is shown to be ahead of the rest of the UK for uptake of small-scale renewable systems.
The findings come from a report by MCS, the national standards organisation for renewables, which identifies green energy “forests” and “deserts” in the UK.
Part of Scotland’s success has been driven by “necessity”, according to MCS, with Scots living in off-grid remote areas more likely to look to alternative power sources.
The highest numbers can be found in two of Scotland’s most remote locations. In Orkney about one in five households has some form of renewable energy, closely followed by the Western Isles, where one in seven homes enjoy green power.
Orkney is ranked number one for ground-source and water-source heat pumps and solar thermal. It sits in second place for air-source heat pumps and is in the top-ten for biomass, as a percentage of homes. In addition, 7 per cent of its households have an Mcs-certified small wind turbine.
Analysis of the figures also suggests fuel poverty is a factor driving installations of micro renewable systems.
The Western Isles has the highest levels of fuel poverty in the UK – at 36 per cent – and the highest
proportion of homes with airsource heat pumps – one in 11 households.
Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, says: “Scotland is setting the benchmark for encouraging the uptake in small-scale renewables at a local and national level.
“While adopting greener energy in many rural areas of Scotland has resulted from necessity, the country’s devolved power over things like subsidy, grants and consumer initiatives is proving highly successful.