Scotland failed to meet its 2020 target of generating the equivalent of 100% of the country’s gross electricity demand from renewable sources by a whisker, according to trade body Scottish Renewables.
It said that new figures show last year 97.4% of Scotland’s electricity consumption was met by clean power.
Scottish Renewables said the 100% target was set in 2011, when renewable technologies generated 37% of the country’s electricity demand.
“Today’s figures show an increase of 8% with respect to 2019, meaning 97.4% of electricity demand is now met by renewable sources,” the trade body added.
Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack said: “Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets have been a tremendous motivator to the industry to increase deployment of renewable energy sources, and in the last 10 years alone we have more than tripled our renewable electricity output – enough to power the equivalent of more than 7 million households.”
But, she added, renewable electricity is only a quarter of the picture.
Mack said: “Domestic and commercial transport accounts for almost 25% of the energy used in Scotland, with heat making up more than half, as well as more than half of its emissions.
“Currently 6.5% of our non-electrical heat demand is generated from renewable sources.
“The technologies we need to replace gas in our homes largely exist now but deploying these across the country is an enormous task.
“Industry and government must continue to work together to address the challenges which exist if we are to fully realise our potential, meet net-zero by 2045 and achieve a just energy transition.”