Many visitors to Scotland are somewhat astounded to learn that inventors from our country have created some of the most important devices to improve our life in the modern age . . . the telephone, television, refrigerator, penicillin and MRI scanner, to name just a few.
Those who do know about Scotland’s ingenuity, however, are not surprised to learn that our country is continuing to innovate and is now successfully carving out a leading position for itself as a globally-competitive player in the renewable energy market.
Not only has the Scottish renewables’ industry broken a record by passing the £1billion per annum investment mark for the first time but every region across the country has a particular contribution to make and is playing a role in ensuring that Scotland realises its potential to offer sustainable energy packages to markets across the globe.
From engineering and manufacturing to enterprise and innovation, Scotland is capitalising on the wealth of expertise, human and natural resources which have, for centuries, made our country a world leader in a number of industries. Renewables is no exception.
Aberdeen City and Shire – through its world-leading oil and gas expertise – is proud to be at the forefront of Scotland’s efforts to build a sustainable energy industry. The region is also proving a powerful force in helping the UK and Europe achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets.
By applying its offshore oil and gas expertise, our region has fast emerged as a centre of excellence for offshore renewables – demonstrating the very special role that Aberdeen City and Shire can play in industrial-scale offshore wind. Furthermore, the city-region has built a prominent position in areas as diverse as biomass and hydrogen fuel cell transport.
Earlier this year, Scottish Renewables analysed figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change which revealed that investment in Scotland’s renewable energy industry amounted to £1.3billion between January and September last year . . . an industry-first.
This is not only a tremendous milestone but Aberdeen City and Shire punches well above its weight in renewables investment through both the private and public sectors.
Investment is being made across the renewable energy spectrum, including onshore and offshore wind, marine and hydro, bio, solar, geothermal energy and hydrogen and fuel cells.
Scottish Renewables also recently revealed the findings of a survey into attitudes to renewable energy which showed strong support for wind power in the north-east of Scotland, with 73% supporting the continuing development of wind energy as part of our energy mix.
The survey, conducted by YouGov, also indicated that 72% of people in the region support the development of large-scale wind power projects in their local council area.
These are highly encouraging findings and demonstrate how important the energy industry is to both the economy and culture of Aberdeen City and Shire.
It is apparent that local people, businesses and organisations are recognising the great opportunities now being generated as a result of energy initiatives and developments taking place across the region. It also reinforces AREG’s vision for Aberdeen City and Shire to be at forefront of the global renewable energy market.
AREG, which marks its official 10th anniversary this year, plays a crucial, strategic role in assisting the region, as well as Scotland and wider UK, to achieve its renewable energy goals.
As a private-public partnership, AREG is working to develop a sustainable energy sector, provide jobs for future generations and retain critical energy skills while actively promoting the most impressive energy capabilities of the region.
Membership, which has soared over the last decade, is considered crucial for both local businesses already working in the sector and those wishing to get involved in the rapidly-growing renewables industry.
Members are already active across the globe, taking advantage of the region’s extensive international energy networks. As such, AREG is continuing to build on its membership and local concentration of key businesses, research, technology and industrial capability.
Our city-region has the ability to lead Scotland into the next generation of power via clean, green renewable energy supply.
AREG also aims to add depth to its extensive supply chain skills base by inviting wider Scottish, UK and international companies to participate in its membership and activities.
It is anticipated that this will help to strengthen further the local knowledge base, create new joint venture and partnering opportunities, and strengthen the wider renewables supply chain.
One of the key factors contributing to AREG’s success is its ability to identify and steer forward projects that will bring economic development value to the region and Scotland as well as help further stimulate the growth of the renewables industry.
In particular, AREG is one of the partners behind the cutting-edge European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) which is one of the most significant strategic projects for the delivery of offshore wind and access for our businesses to approximately £100billion worth of new business in offshore wind. This is a prize that our industry recognises as worth competing for.
This year, the EOWDC has reached significant landmarks. In March, it was awarded consent by the Scottish Government.
Scottish energy, enterprise and tourism minister, Fergus Ewing, stated that offshore renewables represented a huge opportunity for Scotland and that the EOWDC would secure Aberdeen’s place as the energy capital of Europe.
This month also saw a major programme of offshore geotechnical works get under way which could lead to pioneering turbine foundation designs being developed at the EOWDC. The work is being supported by The Carbon Trust’s flagship research and development scheme, the Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA).
The EOWDC represents an investment of more than £230million in the next generation of offshore wind turbines and will be situated off Aberdeen’s coast.
As a global hub of innovation and demonstration, it will play a vital role in the rapidly-evolving European offshore wind sector by accelerating the growth of an efficient, cost effective and technologically-advanced industry.
Employment opportunities will also be created in turbine, foundation and cable manufacturing, cable installation, offshore construction, vessel supply and offshore wind turbine access solutions. It is possible that there will also be tie-in opportunities for Scotland’s world-class universities and research establishments.
AREG is also supporting the multi-million pound European Hydrogen Transport Project (EHTP) which is being led by Aberdeen City Council and aims to introduce hydrogen buses to the region. It has secured £9.2million of EU funding, with a further £9.3million expected to also be secured, and committed to invest £2million.
Hydrogen is expected to be a key enabler in electricity storage and transportation and a key clean alternative for transportation. The expectation is that the EHTP will stimulate further innovative hydrogen technology projects and high-level investment in the area, realising Aberdeen’s aspiration of becoming a world-leading hydrogen city.
Since oil was first discovered in the North Sea more than 40 years ago, Aberdeen City and Shire has become the global centre of what is one of the most critical of our industries. As a result, Aberdeen City and Shire is now home to more than 900 energy companies while its energy-based economy not only makes a significant contribution to the UK economy but has made the region one of the world’s top ranking places to live for quality of life.
However, in order to retain and safeguard our region’s prosperity for generations to come, it is vital that we continue to diversify into new, clean energy sources. This will sustain the region’s position as an internationally-competitive economic powerhouse and build upon its world-renowned reputation as a vibrant place to live, work and visit.
Morag McCorkindale is chief operating officer for Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG)
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