Award nominees announced for 2023 Scottish Green Energy Awards

Scottish Renewables has announced the shortlisted nominees for the 2023 Scottish Green Energy Awards, set to be held on November 30 in Edinburgh.

Scottish Renewables said will honour individuals and organisations who have “risen to the challenge of ensuring Scotland maintains its position as a world leader in clean power”.

Among this year’s nominees are wind, solar, tidal and pumped storage hydro projects as well as community hubs, an eco-farm and one of Scotland’s fastest-growing food brands.

Winners from the 2022 edition included Forth Ports’ Dundee renewables hub, Glasgow’s ReBlade, Xodus’ X-Academy initiative and SSE Renewables, Microsoft and Avanade for their work using AI to assist with puffin and salmon monitoring.

This year’s nominees come from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow and the Shetland Islands among many other regions.

Celebrating Scottish contributions

Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack she looked forward to “celebrating Scotland’s contribution to the economy and the environment”.

“I’ve been absolutely blown away by the outstanding quality of nominations we received for this year’s awards,” Ms Mack said.

© Supplied by Mocean Energy

“This only makes the job of the judges even harder and we have had to make some really tough decisions but the shortlist has an abundance of quality, dedication and of course the innovation our industry needs to continue to thrive.”

Nominees for the awards include:

• Orbital Marine Power, shortlisted for the Outstanding Project Award, is a renewable energy company focused on the development and global application of its pioneering floating turbine technology.
• Muirhall Energy, shortlisted for the Contribution to Skills Award, has worked closely with Borders College to give senior high school students, with no previous knowledge of the construction industry, the opportunity to gain real-world experience on the development of an onshore wind farm.
• We Hae Meat, shortlisted for the Carbon Reduction Award, and one of Scotland’s fastest-growing food brands, has installed a biomass plant and solar panels at its site in Girvan, Ayrshire, to significantly reduce its carbon emissions and help the company to survive Covid and the ongoing energy crisis.

The annual awards see more than 50 individuals, companies and projects vie for prizes in 14 categories at a 1,200-guest ceremony on November 30 in Edinburgh.

The full list of nominees for the 2023 Scottish Green Energy Awards includes:

BEST COMMUNITY PROJECT AWARD

• ISKCON Scotland – Krishna Eco Farm
• Knoydart Renewables – Knoydart Energy Security Project
• SP Energy Networks – Little Kerse Community Sports Hub
• Upper Eskdale Development Group

BEST ENGAGEMENT AWARD

• Arup – Glenmuckloch Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme
• Ripple – Kirk Hill Wind Farm
• SSE Renewables – Community Engagement Strategy
• Statkraft – Loch Liath Wind Farm

© Supplied by Buccleuch

BEST INNOVATION AWARD – NEW TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS

• Balmoral – HexDefence
• Geo-Structural Ltd – SQYFlex
• Mocean Energy Ltd – Blue X
• National Grid ESO, SP Energy Networks & TNEI – Distributed ReStart

BEST INNOVATION AWARD – SOFTWARE AND SERVICES

• Arup – SCALE
• RES
• ORE Catapult – SPARTA
• Utopi

CARBON REDUCTION AWARD

• Famous Blacksmiths Shop, Gretna Green
• Eurowind Energy
• The European Nature Trust – Alladale Wilderness Reserve
• We Hae Meat

CHAMPION OF RENEWABLES AWARD

• Paul O’Brien, DeepWind Cluster/Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Marcus Trinick KC
• Ralph Torr, ORE Catapult

CONTRIBUTION TO SKILLS AWARD

• ESP
• Muirhall Energy
• Ocean Winds
• University of the Highlands and Islands

OUTSTANDING PROJECT AWARD

• FES & Renfrewshire Council – low-carbon heating network for the Advanced Manufacturer Innovation District (AMIDs)
• Orbital Marine Power – O2
• SSEN Transmission – Inveraray to Crossaig electricity transmission network reinforcement
• Statkraft – Keith Greener Grid Park

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

• Arup
• EMEC
• Realise Energy Services
• RES

POSITIVE IMPROVEMENT AWARD

• SafetyOn
• ScottishPower Renewables
• ScottishPower – Recruitment Campaign
• SSEN Transmission – Safety, Health and Wellbeing Team

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AWARD

• EODEX
• NatureScot
• SMEEF
• SSE Renewables – Viking Energy Wind Farm

YOUNG & INSPIRING AWARD

• Dr Desen Kirli, University of Edinburgh
• Lauren McIntosh, Xodus
• Colin Thompson, SSEN Transmission
• Chris Coates, Downing Renewable Developments LLP

JUDGES AWARD

• Ripple
• Eurowind Energy
• SP Energy Networks – Little Kerse Community Sports Hub