TY - JOUR
T1 - Scotland, Renewable Energy and the Independence Debate
T2 - Will Head or Heart Rule the Roost?
AU - Toke, David
AU - Fionnguala Sherry-Brennan, Fionnguala
AU - Cowell, Richard
AU - Ellis, Geraint
AU - Strachan, Peter
PY - 2013/1
Y1 - 2013/1
N2 - Political support for renewable energy development, especially offshore renewables, is particularly conspicuous in Scotland and is a centrepiece of SNP policy. However, this is built on something of a paradox because, put simply, without the subsidies paid by electricity consumers in the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government's ambitious targets for renewable energy would be politically unachievable. We argue in this paper that if Scotland does move towards independence, then there could be little reason for the UK to continue paying (much) of the subsidies since the resulting renewable generation would no longer contribute towards UK renewable energy targets. We suggest that the potential scenarios, and their implications, needs to be far better considered in the arguments around the Scottish constitutional position and the broader aims of UK energy policy.
AB - Political support for renewable energy development, especially offshore renewables, is particularly conspicuous in Scotland and is a centrepiece of SNP policy. However, this is built on something of a paradox because, put simply, without the subsidies paid by electricity consumers in the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government's ambitious targets for renewable energy would be politically unachievable. We argue in this paper that if Scotland does move towards independence, then there could be little reason for the UK to continue paying (much) of the subsidies since the resulting renewable generation would no longer contribute towards UK renewable energy targets. We suggest that the potential scenarios, and their implications, needs to be far better considered in the arguments around the Scottish constitutional position and the broader aims of UK energy policy.
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-923X.2013.02431.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-923X.2013.02431.x
M3 - Article
SN - 0032-3179
VL - 84
SP - 61
EP - 70
JO - Political Quarterly
JF - Political Quarterly
IS - 1-3
ER -