Energy gap can spur economic revolution – if we seize the chance

“Mind the gap” is a common phrase for commuters across the country, but it isn’t a phrase you would normally associate with turning on the lights or flicking on the kettle.

However, the United Kingdom is facing the prospect of an energy gap. Rising demand coupled with lower outputs and the tightening of carbon emissions will lead to the closure of many older power stations.
Across the UK, this energy gap equates to a 31.5 per cent shortage at peak demand by 2020. This is the equivalent to an area the size of Scotland and then stretching all the way down to the Humber estuary being without power in peak winter periods.

In Scotland, the closure of the Longannet and Cockenzie coal-fired power stations and the Hunterston B nuclear station will mean a 42 per cent drop in generating capacity north of the Border, turning Scotland from a net exporter to an importer of power. However, the solution is not as simple as building new power stations – targets set by the UK and the European Union look for us to reduce our carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.

It isn’t all doom and gloom, as these challenges present a sizeable opportunity. Scotland is uniquely positioned to “plug” the gap through renewable energy generation and reduce emissions through carbon capture. In fact, if Scotland is able to seize the opportunity, renewable energy generation alone could create up to 20,000 jobs and add