The pie charts compare the proportions of electricity generated from different energy sources in Scotland 20 years ago and last year.
Overall, coal remained the largest source of electricity in both years, although its share declined significantly. In contrast, nuclear power and other renewable sources increased, while gas and hydro natural flow changed only slightly.
Twenty years ago, coal accounted for the highest proportion of electricity production at 41.4%. Gas was the second largest source, making up 22.3%, followed by nuclear energy at 19.6%. Hydro natural flow contributed 8.7%, whereas hydro pumped storage and other renewables generated relatively small amounts at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively. Oil was the least used source, representing only 2.1% of total electricity production.
Last year, coal still made up the biggest share, but it fell to 32.7%, showing a noticeable decrease of nearly 9%. By contrast, nuclear power rose considerably from 19.6% to 26.4%, becoming the second most important source. Gas experienced a slight decline from 22.3% to 21.7%, while hydro natural flow also dropped marginally to 7.9%. In addition, other renewables increased from 2.8% to 5.1%, and oil rose moderately to 4%. Hydro pumped storage decreased slightly to 2.2%.
