Commonly referred to as Scottish Power, it is the domestic energy provider in the United Kingdom. The Scottish Government wishes to create a National Energy Market (NEM), to link up all energy companies through the Scottish Power market. Common Weal wants the Scottish Government to establish a National Energy Investment Centre (NEIC) to partner it with the other energy companies to create a zero carbon country that will address the issues of fuel poverty and give the Scottish people’s access to energy at a fair price. Common Weal also proposes that there should be a Scottish Energy Market through which energy from all over the world can be traded. Scottish ministers agree to work with the other energy companies to increase competition and create more choice for consumers, whilst ensuring that Scottish customers benefit from lower prices.
The other parties supporting Scottish decarbonisation are the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish Labour party, and the Scottish National Party. The Liberal Democrats would like to see an increase in renewable energy sources, and introduce a feed in tariff for onshore wind farms, and reintroduce gas in certain cases. The Scottish Libdem party would like to see a ban on all forms of carbon dioxide emissions, be replacing the existing hydro-electric schemes with green energy and setting a goal of producing 20% of Scotland’s electricity from green energy sources by the end of next year. The Scottish Labour party supports a carbon neutral package of measures to reduce carbon emissions and boost renewable energy usage. The Scottish National Party wishes to scrap the carbon tax and introduce a free energy market where electricity suppliers can sell their surplus to other companies at competitive rates.
The Scottish Government has set out several plans for improving the energy efficiency of buildings in Scotland. Some measures include reducing the energy consumption of commercial properties by up to twenty percent, and encouraging the installation of low-energy appliances such as coffee maker and washing machine. They also aim to keep heating costs down by encouraging the use of low heat and energy saving light bulbs. There is a proposal to build six new power stations for providing a cheaper form of energy and provide insulation to homes that are built near transmission lines. There is also a consultation on reducing the number of nuclear power stations around the UK, which is estimated to save one billion pounds by 2032.
Peter is an environmental researcher specialising in climate policy, carbon reduction strategies, and sustainable development. He writes about innovative solutions for mitigating global warming.