Onshore wind is one of Scotland's economic and environmental success stories.

As our capacity to capture the energy from the gales and breezes which scour Europe's windiest country has increased, so too have the numerous benefits which onshore wind farms bring.

In 2017, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the onshore wind sector invested £2.8 billion in Scotland – the equivalent of 1.5% of Scotland’s GDP.

Read more: 'The green energy debate: are wind farms really worth it?

But the real reason the world needs onshore wind is simple: we cannot win the fight against climate change if our energy industry continues to produce carbon at the rate it historically has.

The equivalent of around three quarters of the electricity we use in Scotland is delivered by renewables like onshore wind today, up from just a quarter 10 years ago.

Using renewables like onshore wind to generate electricity means we don't have to use fossil fuels, and prevents, according to the most recent figures, 9.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year – the equivalent of taking almost every car, bus, lorry and train off Scotland’s roads and rails.

But while onshore wind power is more popular today than it’s ever been – and more popular in Scotland than in the rest of the UK – we need to be sure the development of onshore wind projects is as environmentally sound as it can be.

Industry works hard with an enormous range of stakeholders to make sure that the very best construction, operations and maintenance practices are followed.

Last month (July 2019) we worked with our members, Perth and Kinross Council, Historic Environment Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, SEPA and Marine Scotland to update a document which has come to symbolise that cooperation: Good Practice during Wind Farm Construction.

Read more: The green energy debate: why wind power will never be the answer

It sets out, in detail, best-practice principles on every aspect of wind farm construction, from how to best engage planning authorities as a site is being considered right through to engaging in circular economy concepts like re-using and recovering as much redundant material as possible.

Scottish Renewables also sits on Scotland’s National Peatland Group, which is revising a National Peatland Plan to take into account new information on how wind farms and peatland interact.

And that brings us to a remarkable but often hidden benefit of onshore wind development: its intrinsic relationship with conservation and restoration of our most valued flora, fauna and landscapes.

The Scottish Government’s carbon calculator plays a key role in ensuring that wind farm developments in Scotland are built in a sustainable way.

It compares the carbon costs of wind farm developments with the carbon savings attributable to the wind farm in a comprehensive and consistent way, giving planners the detail they need to consider every application.

As an industry which works in remote areas (coincidentally often Scotland's windiest) the onshore wind sector has led the way in restoring hectares of degraded peatland while at the same time installing turbines to tackle climate change and generate local economic benefit.

Scotland's rigorous planning system, currently undergoing reform following the Planning (Scotland) Act and through the formulation of the fourth National Planning Framework, is in place to ensure only good, sustainable projects get built – and that all interested parties get their say in the process.

We must continue to develop our renewable energy resource to provide the clean energy needed to tackle the climate emergency and meet our net-zero emissions target, and our industry will continue to work with stakeholders across society to make sure we do that in the most sustainable way possible.