It has been revealed that Scotland has achieved a significant milestone as far as solar photovoltaic capacity is concerned having broken through the 100 megawatt of capacity reaching 106 megawatts. Great strides have been achieved in this respect in the last two or three years by the renewable energy sector north of the border.
When you consider that, back in 2010, there were a mere 429 solar panel installations producing just 2 megawatt of capacity there has obviously been a significant amount of progress made since then and all those involved are to be commended for that.
Now, there are in excess of 28,000 residential properties and 465 commercial premises that have had solar panels installed. There are also 22 industrial sites with this form of renewable energy fitted.
When you compare the solar capacity figure of 106 megawatts with the same time in 2012 there has been a substantial increase of 36%. Let us hope that this progress continues unabated into 2014. Perhaps, when celebrating bringing in the New Year, those involved in the industry may raise a glass to this wonderful achievement.
Scotland has a target of producing all its electricity by renewable energy means by 2020 although a significant amount of this is expected to be generated by offshore wind. This is perhaps not a surprise as Scotland is hardly renowned for its sunny weather being more akin to being faced with strong winds that is certainly something that they are currently encountering at the moment.
Apparently, there are no solar farms in Scotland so this is no doubt an area that great strides could be made to help the country achieve its renewable energy targets in the coming years. One would have thought that there are vast areas of land that could be used to accommodate solar panel farms.
Your comments, as always, are most welcome.
