WWF Scotland has said October was a "bumper month" for Scotland's renewables.

The comments from the environmental group come after new figures were released by WeatherEnergy.

The report revealed that, in Scotland, for the month of October 2014:



• Wind turbines generated an estimated 982,842MWh of electricity. This could power 3,045,000 homes in the UK, and is said to be equivalent to 126% of the electricity needs of every home in Scotland.

• For homes that are fitted with solar PV panels, there was enough sunshine to meet around 46% of the electricity needs of an average home in Edinburgh, 38% in Inverness, 37% in Glasgow, and 33% in Aberdeen.

• For homes fitted with solar hot water panels, there was enough sunshine to meet an estimated 41% of the hot water needs of an average home in Edinburgh, 31% in Inverness, 30% in Glasgow, and 27% in Aberdeen.




Welcoming the latest figures, Lang Banks, WWF Scotland Director, said: "While nuclear power plants were being forced to shut because of cracks, Scotland's wind and sunshine were quietly and cleanly helping to keep the lights on in homes across the country. With wind power generating enough electricity to power 126% of the needs of every home in Scotland, it really was a bumper month for renewables in Scotland.

"Summer may be a distant memory, but for the tens of thousands of Scottish households that have installed solar panels to generate electricity or heat water, a third or more of their needs were met from the sun this October, helping reduce their reliance on coal, gas, or even oil.

"The science is clear, if we are to prevent the worst impacts of global climate change, then the world needs to move away from fossil fuels. The good news is that here in Scotland we're making good use of wind power to create clean electricity.

"However, if Scotland is going to meet its future climate change targets, then we need to see greater support for energy efficiency and renewable heat, as well as action to curb emissions from transport."

(JP/IT)