Carbon neutral Biggar: calculating the community carbon footprint and renewable energy options for footprint reduction

The objective of this research was to develop a community carbon footprint model that could be used to assess the size and major components of a community's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The town of Biggar aims to become Scotland's first carbon neutral town. As expected for this rural community, car transport accounted for nearly half of the CO2 emissions, with natural gas and electricity consumption resulting in a further 24% and 12% of total emissions, respectively, and air travel being the last major component at 10% of emissions. An assessment was also made of the wind and solar resources of the town. One large wind turbine would provide the town's electricity, while three to four turbines would be needed to offset all CO2 emissions. In contrast, offsetting by tree planting would require in the region of 2,000 ha of trees.