Official figures have revealed a record two fifths of electricity used in Scotland came from renewables last year, the BBC has reported.
UK government figures showed 40.3 per cent of energy consumption in 2012 was met by the sector – up from 36.3 per cent the previous year and 24.1 per cent in 2010.
Energy minister Fergus Ewing said the figures showed renewables were “going from strength to strength”.
Environmental campaigners welcomed the figures but said more needed to be done to meet targets.
The Scottish government said it was on course for half of electricity use to come from renewable sources by 2015, an interim target ahead of the goal of having the sector generate 100 per cent of the country’s electricity by 2020.
Scotland continues to produce more energy than it uses, with more than 26 per cent of electricity generated here last year being exported, figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change showed.
Nuclear power provided 34.4 per cent of electricity generated in Scotland in 2012, while 29.8 per cent came from renewables, 24.9 per cent came from coal, 8 per cent from gas and 2.8 per cent from oil and other sources.
The proportion of power in Scotland generated from renewable sources was significantly higher than the rest of the UK.