Energy
How would energy be cheaper in an independent Scotland?
Author / Creator: Business for Scotland
Media type: Article
Date published: 2022
Scotland has huge potential to produce renewable electricity. At the moment, that is limited by the UK’s energy policy, and also by the outdated, privatised National Grid.
How would energy be cheaper in an independent Scotland?
Author / Creator: Business for Scotland
Media type: Blog
Date published:
Cheaper energy in an independent Scotland
Three Reasons Westminster’s Energy Strategy Doesn’t Work for Scotland
Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland
Media type: Article
Date published:
Scotland urgently needs a transformation of the UK’s electricity transmission system which does not serve Scotland’s needs. It also needs more investment in energy efficiency and demand reduction
Socialised power: electricity is a public good
Author / Creator: Michael Davies-Venn
Media type: Article
Date published:
The author says electricity should be treated as a public (common) good. The debate continues.
How Scottish independence could re-ignite the north-east energy sector. Open minds on independence #17
Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland
Media type: News Media
Date published:
With independence, Scotland could manage a just transition from economic dependence on fossil fuels. And take our rightful place at the heart of developing renewables to power the world.
Energy-food nexus in the marine environment: A macroeconomic analysis on offshore wind energy and seafood production in Scotland
Author / Creator: Yang Qu
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published: February 2021
- Low-cost offshore wind farms (OWFs) would increase both energy security and GDP.
- Subsidising the high-cost OWFs would benefit energy security but not the economy.
- Limited negative impacts on seafood sectors by the OWF expansion were identified .
Life cycle assessment of the carbon intensity of deep geothermal heat systems: A case study from Scotland
Author / Creator: Alistair T.McCay
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published:
We calculate that the carbon intensity of the heat produced 4.9–7.3% of the emissions from heat from natural gas. These values are compatible with Scotland's plans for long term decarbonisation.
Low-carbon GeoEnergy resource options in the Midland Valley of Scotland, UK
Author / Creator: N. Heinemann
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published:
The study suggests that the Midland Valley [of Scotland] represents a viable option in Scotland for the exploitation of the majority of low-carbon GeoEnergy resources.
Watershed: the Turning Point for North Sea Oil and the Just Transition
Author / Creator: Rachel Tansey
Media type: Assessment report
Date published: September 2021
No new oil and gas fields can be approved for development. Given the right policies, a just transition can generate more than three jobs in clean industries for every North Sea oil job at risk
Get the future of energy right
Author / Creator: Common Weal
Media type: Video
Date published: 2020
Energy – electricity, heating and transport fuel – is crucial for the modern Scotland we live in. But it can also be one of our biggest threats if we don’t get them right. It can harm our environment and play a major role in causing the climate crisis. ‘Energy inequality’ can harm the health of those who can’t afford to heat their homes. Scotland is one of the few countries in Europe which does not own its energy publicly and the only one that doesn’t own its own National Grid.
Video 1:35 minutes
The Economics of Shale Gas Extraction
Author / Creator: Craig Dalzell
Media type: Assessment report
Date published: April 2016
Wells become non-productive within a few years, requiring ever more to be drilled. Profit margins are small so require high oil and gas prices. Community stress and negative economic effects are likely. The jobs created are short-lived and highly mobile.
Incentives and Opportunities Signalled by Transmission Charges in Scotland
Author / Creator: Iain Wright
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published:
Scotland is not well served by the UK’s National Grid and the current system restricts the development of Scotland’s renewable energy potential and leads to high charges for Scottish consumers.
Public Energy Company
Author / Creator: Keith Baker
Media type: consultation response
Date published:
A publicly owned energy company to generate and deliver energy to the people of Scotland is necessary.
Energy Strategy Consultation
Author / Creator: Susan Brush
Media type: consultation response
Date published: 2017
This paper
― Urges the Scottish Government to add a “just and fair transition” of jobs to the low carbon economy.
― Has concerns about continued use of fossil fuels and carbon capture.
― Strongly supports exploration of alternative energy carriers, such as hydrogen.
― Supports the priority of increasing renewable generation.
― Views that increasing the flexibility, efficiency and resilience of a future energy system as fundamentally essential to underpin a future energy system
Renewables Scotland 2030: A discussion paper on how to transform Scotland’s energy sector by 2030
Author / Creator: Craig Berry
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published: February 2018
Scotland needs an energy infrastructure to adequately exploit renewable sources at a level to meet the variety of demands likely to be demanded. To do this it needs an energy agency at government level,.
Scottish Building Regulations: Review of Energy Standards
Author / Creator: Linda Pearson
Media type: consultation response
Date published:
All new buildings in Scotland should be constructed to passive and zero-carbon standards. All buildings should be surveyed immediately and assessed on their maximum feasible retrofitting potential. They should then be scheduled to be retrofitted to that potential in a single project.
Energy Performance Certificates: An Alternative Approach
Author / Creator: Keith Baker
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published:
There is an urgent need to understand the highly significant uncertainties around both the ratings and the appropriateness of the improvements recommended by EPC assessments. The alternative approach is based on the fundamental principle of maximising the use of real data in order to provide buyers and tenants with accurate, robust, relevant, and useful information.
The Future of Low Carbon Heat For Off-Gas Buildings
Author / Creator: Common Weal
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published:
The primary barrier to the roll-out of low carbon heat is financial. Efficient schemes will have to be government financed. Biofuels may play a significant role in rural heating where they can seamlessly replace off-grid heating without the need to install new infrastructure.
Energy Efficient Scotland Consultation
Author / Creator: Common Weal
Media type: consultation response
Date published: June 2019
Energy Performance Certificates are inadequate due to the severe shortfalls in the methodology. Mandatory improvements should be made when there are changes. Collective energy efficiency improvements such as installing heat networks or the economies of scale can only be done by collective action at government level.
Energy Efficiency in the Private Rented Sector
Author / Creator: Keith Baker
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published: August 2019
The Scottish Government has significantly under-estimated the financial, resource and time costs involved in using Energy Performance Certificates as a basic measure of energy efficiency. The financial penalties are far too low and are unlikely to force the changes required.