Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is widely regarded as a cleaner source of energy than fossil fuels. Scotland's traditional energy sources, such as oil and gas, are also finite and securing sustainable clean energy from the marine environment could help meet Scotland's future energy demands.

Development of an offshore green energy industry is also being driven by the EU 2020 target of 20% of EU's energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. The Scottish Government has a commitment to meet the equivalent of 100% of Scottish electricity demand from renewable sources by then.

Development of offshore renewable energy will help to provide Scotland with a secure energy supply and could lead to Scotland becoming a major energy supplier to other parts of the UK and Europe. However, there are significant challenges associated with meeting the targets both in terms of engineering and of ensuring that there are net environmental benefits. The infrastructure required for grid connection also requires a major upgrade to support developments.