We facing a climate emergency, and at the same time seeking to enhance the security of our energy supply. Onshore wind can address both of these.  Wind energy is a free and inexhaustible resource which has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix. It increases energy security by reducing our reliance on imports and builds our resilience to sudden price fluctuations or the uncertainty of global markets. It can be quick to build and the carbon payback time is usually within 1-3 years.

Onshore wind, alongside other renewable technologies, are also the cheapest form of new electricity generation².

The Scottish Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. It is important to note, carbon reduction is required across all sectors, including heat, transport and industrial processes, which are currently heavily reliant on fossil fuels. It is forecast that Scotland’s peak demand for electricity will at least double within the next twenty years as a result.

This will require a substantial increase in installed capacity across all renewable technologies, including onshore wind. This increase will require a large deployment of new onshore wind projects in order to meet the demand for green, low carbon electricity - which is not only essential for tackling climate change but also for supporting a globally competitive economy and creating jobs. Onshore wind added £2.4 billion to Scotland’s economy in 2019 and employs over 8,700 people.

There are significant grid infrastructure development plans in place that will build out throughout the second half of this decade that will allow for a far higher output of electricity generation from wind and other renewables in Scotland and reduce our reliance on expensive gas back up.

^{1 The homes figure has been calculated by taking the predicted annual electricity generation of the site (based on RES assessments Kinnelhead has a predicted capacity factor of 48.7% at the current design) and dividing this by the annual average electricity figures from DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) showing that the annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,239 kWh (Jan 2024)}

^{2 ClimateXChange Report (2023): ‘Mapping the current and future workforce and skills requirements in Scotland’s onshore wind industry}