Fifty vie for Scottish Green Energy Awards

Fifty finalists announced today are in contention for the 14th Scottish Green Energy Awards, to be held in Edinburgh on December 3. Three community hydropower projects, the Director-General of the CBI, an Orkney business with world-leading expertise in wave and tidal energy and Scotland’s biggest energy consumer are all shortlisted for the prestigious gongs.

Locals in Edinburgh, the Trossachs and on the Isle of Mull are all benefitting from hydro-electric schemes, which are in the running for the Best Community Project award.

CBI chief John Cridland’s consistent highlighting of the impact of UK Government cuts to green energy this summer sees him nominated in the Champion of Renewables category.

Leask Marine, whose work to remove a tidal energy device from the Orkney seabed then return the site to its original state was acclaimed as a world-first, is nominated as Best Supplier.

Scottish Water’s efforts to use renewable energy – doubling its green power capacity since 2013 in a bid to reduce its £45 million energy bill – see the business nominated for the Renewing Scotland award alongside a district heating scheme in Wick, an innovative rural heating project in the Borders village of Abbey St Bathans and a solar farm at Mackie’s ice cream factory.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, which organises the 1,000-strong awards event, said: “2015 has been an incredibly difficult year for renewable energy, with a whole series of cuts by the Westminster Government. We should however remember that our industry is producing record levels of heat and power as we seek to lead the transformation in Scotland’s energy sector.

“This year’s finalists have all played a part in our industry’s success and show the many ways in which the growth of renewable energy is benefitting communities and businesses across the country.

“I would like to thank everyone who entered the awards, and I look forward to congratulating the worthy winners on December 3.”

The full list of finalists, which can be seen online together with previous winners, is:

Best Community Project

Harlaw community hydro scheme

Callendar community hydro scheme

Beinn Ghrideag wind farm

Garmony community hydro scheme

Balgair Castle Holiday Park biomass district heating system

Best Innovation

Accelerating Renewables Connections by SP Energy Networks, Community Energy Scotland, Smarter Grid Solutions and the University of Strathclyde

Wave Energy Scotland

Bird monitoring model by Atmos Consulting

Dulas Live by Dulas Ltd and Visual Wind

Best Photography

Clyde wind farm by Dan Brown

Whitelee Wind Farm by Michael McGurk

FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility by Stuart Brown

Sunset wind turbine by Jose Vega-Lozano

Turbine blades by Eddie Boyd

Shetland turbine by Paul Riddell

Best Supplier

Green Marine (UK) Ltd

ILI (Renewable Energy) Ltd

Urban Wind Ltd

Leask Marine Ltd

Business Growth

Wind Prospect Operations

Neo Environmental

Energised Environments Ltd

Locogen

Champion of Renewables

Professor Martin Tangney; Director, Biofuel Research Centre, Edinburgh Napier University and Founder, Celtic Renewables

John Cridland CBE; Director-General, Confederation of British Industry

Richard Howard; Head of Environment & Energy, Policy Exchange

Dr Heather Reid OBE

Lord Wallace of Tankerness; Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords

Skills

Energy Skills Partnership

Diane Hill, Skills Development Scotland

Falck Safety Services

National Skills Academy for Power

Engineering Excellence

Visual Wind

SP Energy Networks

Atkins and Burntisland Fabrication Ltd

Green Highland Renewables

Export

Aquatera

Sgurr Energy

European Marine Energy Centre

Renewing Scotland

Scottish Water

Ignis Wick Ltd

Mackie’s of Scotland solar PV by Absolute Solar and Wind

Abbey Heat

Rising Star

Jenny Kirkpatrick, Natural Power

Irina Cortizo, Atkins

Andy Kay, ORE Catapult

Jennifer Ramsay, Local Energy Scotland

Sandy Robinson, Scene Consulting

Sustainable Development

Guide to Hydropower Construction Best Practice by Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environment Protection

Agency and Scottish Renewables

Wick District Heating Scheme by Ignis Wick Ltd

Cameronbridge distillery bio-energy facility by Diageo