After years of falling demand for power, Scotland’s appetite for electricity rising again – Herald

David Ross

There is a growing need for a clear strategy to reduce the demand for
electricity in Scotland, according to conservationists, following official
statistics just published by the Scottish Government

WWF said electricity demand in Scotland is on the rise, up almost four per
cent year on year after eight consecutive years of annual reduction.

Although green energy from the likes of wind and hydro power is increasing,
the figures come just months after the Scottish Parliament’s Energy,
Economy and Tourism Committee called for a demand reduction policy to help
secure supply and reduce costs.

The report, Energy in Scotland 2016, shows overall energy demand has fallen
in Scotland by 14.1per cent over the last decade, exceeding the Scottish
Government’s target to reduce demand by 12per cent by 2020 well ahead of
schedule.

However WWF’s said these figures show Scotland has the highest electricity
use per household of any region in the UK.

Independent research showed that reducing electricity demand by even one
per cent a year would make it easier and cheaper for Scotland to
decarbonise its electricity system and hit its climate targets, Dr Sam
Gardner, Head of Policy at WWF Scotland said. He continued:

“Scotland’s made great progress in generating electricity from renewables
but we also need to pay close attention to our demand for power. These new
figures underline the need for renewed purpose and a clear electricity
demand reduction strategy from the Scottish Government to help businesses
and consumers reduce their power usage, leading to lower bills and climate
emissions.”

A government spokesman said: “We are very pleased to see such a substantial
drop in energy demand over the last decade.

“While we will closely monitor household electricity usage, we have made
significant progress on generating cleaner, greener electricity through a
variety of renewable options.”

The government is targeting Scotland being able to generate the equivalent
of 100 per cent of Scotland’s own electricity demand from renewable
resources by 2020.