courtesy Vestas

A new report for Scottish business and policy leaders suggest offshore wind and tidal power are unlikely to help Scotland meet more than 20 percent of its 2020 targets for electricty generation from renewable energy.

The Future of Electricity Generation in Scotland suggests the Scots may need 450 megawatts of new installed power every year for 12 years to meet the new green targets. Scotland's biggest wind park, with 90 turbines, produces around 200 MW of power.

According to the report, Scotland now gets 1.3 gigawatts of power from onshore wind farms, but the report says 6.6 GW are needed to meet the more modest 20 percent of power from "renewables" by 2020. No offshore wind power is installed, although 500 megawatts could yet be called upon.

The 52-page report produced for a major Scottish energy industry association by research consultancy Wood Mackenzie suggests new nuclear power should also be “considered” for the long-term.

With onshore wind providing more than 80 per cent of renewable power increases, marine, biomass and hydro are seen expanding at a tenth of the rate of new wind.

Overall, Scotland is said to need £10 billion of investment in new electricity generation to meet its Kyoto Protocol goals, and the Scots’ demand for electricity could rise by 10 percent over the next 10 years.

The remoteness of Scotland’s offshore could further curb offshore wind and tide power. And there are other worries: “Protracted planning processes, equipment and infrastructure constraints and increasing costs raise uncertainties about the scale and pace of development in the sector.”

Other constraints already clear to U.K. planners is the country’s minimal grid space for renewable power. Some 6,000 kilometres of direct current and 1,900 km of alternating current cable are said to be needed in support of offshore wind’s future expansion.

Meanwhile, bickering Scottish politicians control the local planning process, the report notes, it is they who must consent to all offshore wind power plants 1 MW or over.