Onshore wind
We remain committed to onshore wind as the lowest-cost new-build electricity generation in the UK.
It provides an important contribution to the renewables mix and to achieving our target of meeting 100% of Scotland's electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the UK Environmental Accounts: Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Survey in January 2018. The final figures for 2016 show that almost half (45.8%) of the UK's turnover from onshore wind activities was generated in Scotland in 2016. This aligns with the fact that the majority of large capacity wind farms are in Scotland.
Statistics published by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that onshore wind in Scotland had an installed capacity of 7.3GW and generated 3.23GWh in the second quarter of 2017.
Onshore Wind Policy Statement
We published our Onshore Wind Policy Statement (OWPS) in December 2017 alongside our overarching Energy Strategy.
It considers the various issues facing the sector, including route to market and barriers to deployment, and details some of actions we are taking to mitigate these concerns. We are continuing to work with industry and stakeholders to find solutions to these barriers, to allow deployment of onshore wind to continue.
Before publishing the OWPS we ran a consultation on a draft onshore wind policy statement, for which we published an analysis of responses.
Additional information
Studies we've commissioned:
Planning advice:
- onshore wind planning: frequently asked questions
- wind farm developments on peat land: planning advice
Appeals: