The largest growth has been recorded to come from onshore and offshore wind installations. The new figures for 2023 show that Scotland continues to generate more electricity than it uses. Net exports to other UK nations are worth an estimated £1.5 billion thanks to record production levels in the second half of the year.
In 2023, wind technologies accounted for over 75 per cent of Scotland's renewable electricity generation, with hydro technologies coming in second at nearly 14 per cent. According to the Scottish Energy Statistics for the last quarter of 2023, Scotland had 15.3 Gigawatts (GW) of operational renewable electricity capacity. Additionally, there were 25.9 GW in the planning stages from 517 projects. This marks a increase from the 13.9 GW capacity recorded in 2022.
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Energy Minister Gillian Martin said: "A 10% increase in capacity and net exports worth an estimated £1.5 billion shows that the Scottish Government’s focus on growing the green economy is paying off. We will ensure Scotland continues to capitalise in a sustainable way on its natural resources to underpin the just transition to net zero, provide jobs, benefit communities and support economic growth.
"To help Scotland reap the economic benefits of this expansion in renewables we are allocating £66.9 million in 2024-25 to kickstart our commitment to invest £500 million over the next five years in Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain."
