The Scottish Government announced that Scotland’s capacity for electricity generation from renewable sources has increased by 10% within a year, with the largest growth coming in offshore and onshore wind installations.

It said new figures for 2023 show Scotland continues to generate more electricity than it uses, with net exports to other UK nations worth an estimated £1.5 billion thanks to record production levels in the second half of the year.

More than three quarters of the renewable electricity generated in Scotland in 2023 came from wind technologies, while the second largest producer was hydro technologies at almost 14%.

“Scottish Energy Statistics for the final quarter of 2023 detail 15.3 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity capacity operating in Scotland, with a further 25.9 GW in the planning pipeline from 517 projects,” said the Scottish Government.

“This compared to 13.9 GW of capacity operating in 2022.”

Electricity generation from renewable sources in Scotland in 2023 was 33.3 Terawatt-hours (TWh). This was a 7% drop from 2022 – largely due to adverse weather conditions – but record levels of renewable generation in the second half of 2023 mitigated this.

Energy Minister Gillian Martin said: “A 10% increase in capacity and net exports worth an estimated £1.5 billion shows that the Scottish Government’s focus on growing the green economy is paying off.

“We will ensure Scotland continues to capitalise in a sustainable way on its natural resources to underpin the just transition to net zero, provide jobs, benefit communities and support economic growth.

“To help Scotland reap the economic benefits of this expansion in renewables we are allocating £66.9 million in 2024-25 to kickstart our commitment to invest £500 million over the next five years in Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain.”