Meeting of the Parliament 06 December 2016
That is, rightly, for the energy strategy to set out. Today, we are putting forward a number of policies and ideas that should be taken seriously by the Government. I hope that the minister will reflect on them when he closes the debate.
To return to the issue of subsidy and CFD, what was needed was a balanced approach to investment that recognised the advantages of onshore wind as a mature technology and put the market technologies of wave and tidal on a clear pathway to commercialisation. Instead, we have a second CFD round that is dominated by offshore wind, which has a big role to play but not to the exclusion of the technologies that are already ahead of it and those that are coming up behind.
There is a strong future for onshore wind, and the trend towards higher turbine heights means fewer turbines in the landscape. With many projects entering their second decade, there is a golden opportunity for Scotland to repower, replant and, where appropriate, extend wind farms. Taking a landscape-scale approach to degraded uplands could deliver a triple win of massively increased power output, opportunities to invest in habitat restoration and renegotiated community benefit agreements, with more profit sharing and partnership built in.
We see island communities reaching out for the onshore wind developments that could release nearly three quarters of a billion pounds-worth of investment; grid constraints that have had a stranglehold on their economic potential for years being finally released; and land reform delivering the foundation for a renewables legacy that will ensure that wealth and wellbeing are shared across the islands for generations to come. Allowing island wind a place in the CFD process that recognises both the challenge and the enormous social and economic potential, alongside a renewed target for all energy, has to be a priority of every member of the Parliament.
I move amendment S5M-02919.4, to insert at end:
“; agrees that the forthcoming energy strategy should set a target to ensure that 50% of all Scotland’s energy needs across the heat, electricity and transport sectors are met by renewables by 2030; recognises that sustained growth in renewable energy generation, as well as new policies to guide the re-powering of existing sites and promote domestic industry and innovation, will be required to meet these targets; believes that growth in renewables must benefit the common good, and therefore supports the creation of a Scottish renewable energy bond and government-owned energy company to help people in communities develop, build and own more low-carbon energy capacity.”
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