Scotland has some of the world’s most ambitious plans to benefit from the power of the wind – and a big jump on the world in harvesting it.
Shetland project meeting local opposition, though
In May, the nation switched on its then largest onshore wind farm – the 322 MW Whitelee plant south of Glasgow. Owned by ScottishPower Renewable, part of the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola SA., the farm has permission to expand to 600 MW.
Now ScottishPower is set to add to its portfolio. Construction began on the 120 MW Arecleoch farm near Barrhill in South Ayrshire. Sixty turbines are planned over a 14-square-mile site.
An equally large project from Viking Energy is under consideration for the islands of Shetland. It would boast 150 turbines standing 475 feet high and a 600 MW generating capacity. (Shetlanders have come out against the proposal.)
Both projects are among the roughly 45 wind projects either pending or which have won approval since 2007.
Scottish officials say they are well on their way to getting 50 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Scotland has about a quarter of Europe’s wind potential and existing farms achieve world record efficiencies.
