WIND ENERGY IN SCOTLAND 

Tackling climate change requires a wide range of measures.  These include reducing energy demand, energy efficiency, recycling, sustainable transport and the use of renewables to make clean green electricity.

At national level, the Scottish Government has recently announced a new target of generating 100% of Scottish gross electricity consumption from renewables by 2020.  In 2009, more than a quarter (27.4 per cent) of electricity demand came from renewables. There are around 7 Gigawatts (GW) of renewables capacity installed, under construction or consented around Scotland, enabling Scotland to exceed its interim target of 31 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand from renewables in 2011. (Scottish Government, 2011)

As the most technically and commercially proven renewable electricity generation technology, wind turbines have a vital role to play in progressing towards achieving these ambitious targets. 

The proposed wind farm at Meikle Carewe is one of the first steps towards creating a low carbon, sustainable energy supply for Scotland. Along with other technologies, such as tidal, solar, biomass and wave energy, and a significant reduction in energy demand, wind farms will contribute to a sustainable future for Scotland in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.