Scotland – Emerging World Leader in Renewable Energy

In a bid to reduce the impact of fossil fuels on the world’s climate, innovative ways of sating our energy consumption are being developed. Scotland is a forerunner of such developments.

As the urgency for sustainable energy mounts, Scotland is becoming ever more attractively poised to accommodate the demand, due to its huge potential to generate and supply wind, biomass, marine and even solar energy. Numerous sites have been identified for their potential to provide a sustainable industry for the future.

With Scotland already producing enough wave, tidal and offshore wind resources to exceed its own demand by five times, the Scottish Government is capitalising on its assets and has set ambitious targets for Scotland to generate 80% of its electricity consumption via sustainable sources by 2020. Other aims include creating 28,000 jobs by 2020 from wind energy, and reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

The Government has taken further steps to encourage innovation in the sector by launching the £10 million International Saltire Prize, awarding revolutionary work in marine renewable energy – an attractive financial incentive indeed.

A well-developed supply chain and labour force has evolved with the industry, in collaboration with the academic sector, capable of supporting the industry growth.

Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Energy

Offshore Wind Energy:

In 2009, nine exclusivity agreements were approved to eight power companies for the development of offshore wind farms around Scotland’s east and west coasts, with the potential to collectively generate over 5.7 GW of renewable energy by 2020. A further 4.8GW of offshore wind energy will be developed at two large areas off the east coast, confirming Scotland’s potential for offshore energy production.

Currently, Scotland’s total practical offshore resource is estimated at 206GW, with over 2,400 wind turbines either active, under construction or planned throughout Scotland, with a capital investment of £30 billion.

Bio-energy:

With timber production projected to double by 2025 as mature forests become ripe for harvesting, Scotland poses massive potential for biomass energy advancement, already encompassing 60% of the UK’s forestry resources.

Marine Energy:

Scotland’s potential to become a world-leading marine energy technology region is represented by its capacity to produce 25% of Europe’s tidal power and 10% of its wave power.

This was exacerbated when the Crown Estate announced six wave and four tidal schemes in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters in March 2010, which will produce up to 1.2GW of marine energy.

Solar Energy:

Developments in solar energy are facilitated by rich natural resources and expertise in the semiconductor industry.

The sector is being further advanced by the influence of global companies and research centres in nanotechnology, which are reducing the cost of cell production.

Academic Support System

Alliances between R&D and industry facilitate the efficient and effective development of new technologies. Many companies are recognising the benefits of such collaborations, including Doosan Babcock, Clyde Bergemann and Howden, who are working with the academic sector on research into carbon capture in the construction of advanced coal-fired power stations.

Home to the EU’s highest concentration of academic institutes, 14 universities offer vast amounts of R&D opportunities, complemented by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, the Hydrogen Office, and Longannet Power Station.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has granted over £5 million funding to the University of Strathclyde to set up a Doctoral Training Centre in wind energy.

Supportive Infrastructure and Workforce

Centuries of tradition in the oil and gas industry has prepared Scotland’s workforce and supply chain to facilitate the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector.

With 50% of school leavers in Scotland undertaking higher or further education, and with a pool of 70,000 graduates replenishing the workforce each year, (1/5 of which technologically skilled), Scotland is one of the most educated countries on the planet.

For more information about doing busines in Scotland, see Scottish Development's pages.