This report is an introduction to the issue of effective government policy with respect to energy efficient retrofit in the private rental sector, and to some of the evidence that relates to the topic. It is intended to be relevant to both the development of energy retrofit policy in the private rental sector in Scotland, and to anyone with a general interest in the topic.

It contains background information on the private rental sector and energy use in Scotland, and on the existing approach to government policy in this area, both in Scotland and across the UK. It follows this with a summary of some of the evidence on the issue from the academic and non-academic sources that were gathered for this scoping report.

Like the owner-occupier sector, policy interventions in the PRS are complicated by the level of actors that need to be addressed i.e. many thousands of individual landlords and tenants. Alongside this, the difficulty which is most commonly cited in the literature reviewed in this report is that of a split incentive between those who are most liable to pay the costs of energy retrofit – the property owners – and those who will most likely reap the benefits – the property occupants.

Despite substantial progress, the path to commercialisation for the wave and tidal industries is taking longer and proving more difficult than initially expected.

This project charts recent activity and views in the sector; investigating the deployment pipeline and the market; exploring recent policy and political signals from UK and devolved administrations and the availability of market-pull instruments; and sets UK development in the global context.

It concludes that the wave and tidal sector is at an early stage of development, both technically and commercially, relative to other established renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaic and onshore/offshore wind. Technically it has been proven that wave and tidal energy converters can deliver electrical power into the grid, which was not the case only a decade ago. The track record of demonstrated performance at this stage is quite limited, although notable advances have been made in the past 12 months, particularly in tidal stream energy. Deployed capacity is also small both in the UK and globally, but several companies have ambitious plans for market expansion.

Most investment to date in the wave and tidal sector in terms of the supply chain, technology and project development has come from the private sector. This has been stimulated by government policy and market signals. For continued progress to be made this needs to be built upon to mobilise further private investment.

On 22-23 March 2018, the University of Edinburgh and ClimateXChange co-hosted two events exploring the potential impact of Brexit on the Scottish energy system. Over the two days, a distinguished set of experts from across industry, government, academia and law debated the risks and uncertainties of Brexit in the context of the Scottish Government’s ambitious decarbonisation strategy, and the UK’s wider climate and energy policy agenda.

The first event – a panel discussion – discussed the question ‘How disruptive will Brexit be to Scotland’s Energy Strategy?’. The aim of the event was to provide a Scottish perspective on the impact of Brexit on our energy system. Indeed, this is a highly topic issue; the Scottish Government has been at the forefront for building the case against the UK’s departure from the European Union, and has recently published an assessment highlighting significant costs of a ‘hard’ Brexit to the Scottish economy

The following day an invitation-only workshop gathered 15 experts from across government, industry, and academia to consider the future of the UK’s electricity system in the context of Brexit. Participants engaged with the following questions:

  • What are the risks and uncertainties facing the UK electricity system after Brexit? To what extent does the functioning of this system – now and in the future – depend on EU membership?
  • How can the probability and impact of the identified risks be measured and assessed?
  • What can be done to mitigate risk and reduce uncertainty for the UK electricity system following Brexit?

The implications of Brexit for investment in the UK’s renewable energy supply chain are uncertain, as much will depend on the broader terms of departure and the future relationship with the EU, which remain unclear.

This research report considers the extent to which Brexit poses a risk to renewable electricity investment in the UK – and Scotland in particular.

In the medium terms Brexit may affect Scotland’s substantial number of on- and off-shore wind projects in the pipeline. The terms may translate into reduced access to low-cost financing for these projects, the imposition of tariff and non-tariff barriers on low-carbon goods and services, reduced access to a skilled pool of labour, as well as more limited entitlements to European public funding for Research & Development.

At the same time, however, there are positive signs that European utilities remain committed to developing the UK’s domestic supply chain; we consider recent inward investment flows and record low auction prices for delivering offshore wind energy as encouraging signs of industry resilience.

Heating for commercial and residential buildings represents 53% of Scotland’s total energy demand. This makes decarbonisation heat a key challenge.

Hydrogen can be used as an alternative to natural gas for space and water heating and can potentially be delivered through the existing gas distribution network following upgrade. Switching from natural gas to hydrogen has been identified as the principal option to enable the gas networks to continue supplying energy for space and water heating in line with climate targets.

This report reviews recent literature and summarises what we know from existing and planned hydrogen-for-heat projects with relevance to the Scottish context. 

How light and shadow effects from wind farms are considered in the development planning process in Scotland was raised in our report Wind Farm Impacts Study, published in July 2015. The Impact Study made a number of recommendations for developing better guidance on predicting and limiting the impac of wind farm developments.

The findings in this follow-up study aims to feed in to the Scottish Government thinking on how light and shadow effects are assessed and considered through the planning process, and potentially inform future guidance for developers and planning authorities.

The research makes a number of recommendations:

  • There needs to be consistency between guidance documents and planning policy on the definition of shadow flicker
  • A definition of the outdoor effects of light and shadow related effects should be included for clarity
  • Guidance should
    • include acknowledgement of the issue of reflected light
    • clarify the likely requirement for visible lighting, and how potential landscape and visual effects should be addressed
    • explicitly set out the parameters when shadow flicker may occur and which are required for likely case scenario modelling
    •  not include reference to the occurrence of shadow throw ‘within 130 degrees either side of north’.
    • exclude reference to the 10 rotor diameter distance
    • set out the need to consider cumulative shadow flicker and further guidance on how this should be approached
  • There is also a need for guidance on the thresholds of exposure to shadow flicker in Scotland; and on different factors which may affect the sensitivity of different types of receptor to light and shadow related effects.

When the Longannet power station closed in 2016 it raised debate about Scotland’s ability to meet its peak demand for electricity. In the period until 2030 we are expecting further major changes to the Scottish electricity system:

  • Hunterston and Torness nuclear stations are both expected to close by 2030,
  • there is no certainty over the long term future of Peterhead gas power station,
  • the capacity of wind generation is expected to grow, and
  • the size of the peak demand is also likely to grow.

As a result the flows of electricity across the transmission network will be considerably more variable. Towards the end of the 2020s, at the latest, it is likely that we will need either new transmission links with the rest of Great Britain, or new generation capacity that is capable of being scheduled in advance, to ensure Scotland’s peak demand security-of-supply.

This study analyses the current level of transmission import capability and investigates the transmission import capability required going forward.

Main findings:

  • Development of either new transmission links or new schedulable generation capacity in Scotland is likely be required by the late 2020s. Given the time scales normally required for transmission and generation projects, it is important that system planners, regulators and policy makers ensure that further examination of the requirements and potential options begins soon.
  • Scottish peak-demand security is only one of a number of aspects of security-of-supply. Ensuring that future system developments support all aspects of security will be vital to keeping the system operational and resilient. Regulators and policy makers need to be aware of the technical and multi-dimensional nature of electricity security-of-supply, and ensure that generation and network resources are designed to ensure that all aspects of security are maintained to acceptable levels.
  • The current deterministic calculations used to estimate the required capability of the transmission system in respect of reliability of supply need to be revisited in light of two factors:
      • (i) the increased penetration of weather dependent renewable resources such as wind; and
      • (ii) the emergence of a situation where large regions of the GB system, such as Scotland, have a small number of large conventional generation units.

The Scottish Government has asked ClimateXChange (CXC) to manage a research project to review how light and shadow effects from wind farms are considered and communicated in the development planning process in Scotland.  

This project follows on from CXC’s Wind Farm Impacts Study (2015), which looked at whether the impacts predicted by wind farm developers in documentation submitted with their planning applications are consistent with the impacts experienced once the wind farm is operational.

That study considered a range of evidence, including information provided by residents who live near wind turbines. It found that residents have reportedly experienced a range of light and shadow effects from wind farms that have not been identified by assessments undertaken during the planning process.  It also found that some residents did not feel that they had been accurately informed of predicted light and shadow effects before wind turbines were built.  As a result the report recommended developing national guidance on how light and shadow effects from wind farms should be defined, assessed and communicated throughout the planning process.

This project is an evidence review that will contribute to meeting these recommendations by assessing how light and shadow effects are currently considered and communicated through the planning process in Scotland.

The research findings will be used to provide recommendations on how to improve:

  • the definition of light and shadow effects and impacts;
  • methods for predicting the impact of light and shadow effects on local residents; and
  • the communication of light and shadow effects and impacts with local residents.

The insights from the review may be used to inform future guidance for developers and planning authorities.

The project will be completed in late 2016.

Heat accounts for over half of Scotland’s final energy use, representing significant opportunities and challenges for reducing our greenhous gas emissions.

The Scottish Government’s forthcoming Climate Change Plan will define priorities for investment in energy infrastuture, including heat. Heat will also be a central focus of the Government’s Energy Strategy, while the long-term infrastructure commitment signalled by Scotland’s Energy Efficieny Programme will be key to attracting private investment in the sector.

ClimateXChange and the UK Energy Research Centre hosted a summit in Ediburgh on 15 September 2016, bringing together Scottish policymakers and leading UK researchers on heat transitions. The summit identified priority areas for research, policy and practice to support the decarbonisation of Scotland’s heat supply and demand in the context of emerging Scottish policies.

See the links on this page to view the workshop programme,  presentation slides and a summary of the workshop discussion.

Decentralisation of the energy system appears to hold the promise of a more just energy system – a low carbon system that generates greater local benefits and better serves local needs.  As a result, for local and national government, local energy is often framed as an opportunity to holistically address several pressing policy challenges: reducing carbon emissions, matching energy supply and demand, engaging and empowering communities, tackling fuel poverty, and reviving local economies.

This event brought researchers, policymakers, community energy practitioners, and other private, public and third sector stakeholders together to meet and exchange knowledge on the transition towards local energy systems.

The programme for the day:

  • provided examples of local energy systems in practice from around the UK;
  • examined the evidence that local energy systems are delivering positive economic and social outcomes; and
  • looked at the enabling conditions for local energy systems in the UK.

Please download the presentations and a report detailing the key outcomes from the event using the links on the right.

Useful links for more information on local energy projects: