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04/11/2011
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Scotland's plans to generate the equivalent of 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 may increase fuel poverty and turn Scotland from a net exporter to a net importer of energy, according to a new report issued by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (ImechE).
 The 'Scottish Energy 2020?' report considers what would be needed from an engineering perspective to deliver the 100% renewable electricity target by 2020, as well as the country's self imposed target to source 30% of its overall energy consumption from renewables by 2020.
"The Scottish Government is absolutely right to exploit the country's huge potential for renewable energy, but we have serious concerns that the over ambitious 2020 target will push up prices and, combined with the government's distaste for nuclear power, turn Scotland from a net exporter to a net importer of energy," said ImechE director, Dr Colin Brown.
He continued: "Without any clear, workable and engineering based plan of action, it is doubtful whether these targets are achievable at all. Holyrood needs to draw up a detailed, achievable and public strategy on how they plan to deliver these targets."
Dr Brown called on the Scottish government to introduce an energy policy that is based on specific, measureable, achievable and realistic time based targets.
He went on to suggest that the government should, as a matter of urgency, establish and publish the current position in terawatt-hours per year of the gross energy consumption in Scotland in the fields of heat, transport and electricity.
"If Holyrood wants to maintain its 100% electricity target by 2020 it should clearly state a strategy for achieving it based on engineering rigour," Brown concluded.
The full report can be downloaded below.
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Author
Laura Hopperton
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