Scotland the Next Green Energy Hub

Scottish Prowess

A change of fortunes could be occurring amongst those that live in the highlands of North Scotland. Along rugged coastlines, the regions of Caithness and Orkney seem like an almost desolate place; sparsely populated with nothing more but rocky hills and unkind cliff faces in sight. It is for this precise reason that an experimental nuclear plant in 1995 was setup; yet, soon to be decommissioned – surprisingly, locals remain upbeat. Further still, the locals here are even challenging for the crown of clean energy king. How is this so and what is going on this north part of the UK?

Well, the reason for these bold aims and uplifting spirits is that the very harsh and seemingly unfavourable landscape, and environmental conditions which made this area of the north sparse in the first place, is starting to stir a furore amongst energy companies across the world. From the far reaches of Germany, America, Norway, Ireland, Singapore, England, etc, all are attracted by a move to the highlands which would favour green technological development. The north benefits from a geography which channels Atlantic currents into the narrow strait off Caithness, producing strong tidal flows and big waves [1]. Furthermore, as has already been established, high wind speeds in overall Scotland have also already favoured the establishment of on shore and off shore wind farms in these regions. It seems if involved in green energy creation, Scotland could not have provided a better location for developing green energy technology. The landscape and lack of industry which made parts of the north sparse in the first place, is finally giving something back to those who were most loyal to remain. The challenge, to make Scotland a potential clean energy hub may be just on the verge of the horizon.

Wind Farms

Wind power in Scotland is the country’s fastest growing renewable energy technology, with 2574 MW of installed capacity as of April 2011 [2]. Onshore and offshore wind farms exist around the region and more are yet come. The Scottish Government has a target of generating 31% of Scotland’s electricity from renewable energy by 2011, and 100% by 2020, which was raised from 50% in September 2010 [3]. The majority of this is likely to come from wind power.

The Scottish government fund of £35m is also to help up to seven companies find advanced designs for the next generation of ocean-based wind turbines for deep waters, 20 miles offshore. Turbines are to be up to three times larger than current designs and although many offshore wind farms exist already, these latest investment products are to be 20 miles off the shore, not a mere 1 mile, according to Alex Salmond, first minister of Scotland [4].

Marine-Energy Technologies

Due to the strong currents as previously mentioned, not much encouragement was needed, by the Scottish and British Governments, or the EU to invest in the area. Together, £23m was pooled together to establish a testing centre for marine-energy technology. This has benefited Scotland as currently, they are testing the latest in wave and tidal technologies. The success of which will, together with wind power, determine Scotland’s status as a powerhouse for green energy production. A feat which Salmond seems to think is achievable.

“Scotland’s potential as one of the green power houses for Europe is beyond question. We mustn’t let transient but severe economic circumstances deter us from that goal [4].”

For it was predicted that wave and tidal technologies would not be commercially viable until up to a decade away. This all changed when Aquamarine Power, a developer which has one of the most advanced wave power machines, had won fresh investment of £7m on top of an already pledged £18m by 2014 [4]. It is in the highlands of Scotland where marine energy technology is currently thriving.

The Economy

Local businesses are gearing up for a bonanza. The countryside around Thurso, Caithness, mainly occupied by sheep, also features some outlandishly large metal sheds which are contributing in their own way to the marine energy’s latest developments. They house manufacturing companies that have made a tidy living, and built up some impressive skills, doing problem-solving engineering at Dounreay and elsewhere.

For those who were affected by the decommissioning of the nuclear reactor, it seems that doom and gloom was never the forecasted outcome. Will Campbell, director of JGC Engineering, is building a computerised crane that will aid in the removal of nuclear rods from the defunct reactor [1].

A family-owned firm that can be traced back six generations to a blacksmith’s forge; business is still flowing. “In the last year, renewables work has started to come through,” he says. He has won several contracts from various wave and tidal turbine makers.

Allen Perrin of Numax, in another big engineering shed nearby, bubbles with pride about a piece of machinery costing more than £200,000 he has just built and installed on a prototype seabed-turbine for Voith Hydro, a joint venture between Voith and Siemens, two German industrial giants. “We completed it in five weeks and we had to wait for the Germans to arrive,” he chortles, adding that they also fixed an ill-fitting German component in 24 hours [1].

Other local firms provide transport, heavy lifting, port services and accommodation for visiting engineers also benefit from this kind of work. Duncan MacKay, a local marine-energy consultant, says that if all the energy companies’ plans come to fruition, something like 500 seabed and surface turbines will be installed within 18 miles of Thurso over the next decade. Because turbines are heavy and expensive to move, closeness to the final site is a big advantage for Caithness. As a result, many locals may be involved in taking part in this big project [1].

If Scottish companies can establish a lead in marine energy, much as Denmark did in wind power, it could be a big job and wealth creator for the country. Salmond boasts that the Pentland Firth will be the “Saudi Arabia” of marine energy [4].

Scottish Support

With perhaps a few exceptions, the Scottish majority seem to be in good support of the clean energy industries which are arriving to Scotland. Yet, similar to all new proposals, the siting of wind turbines in areas can sometimes also face protest; amongst those concerned with the value of their natural landscape.

Nevertheless, overall in Scotland, it is fair to say that the majority are in support of the wind farms. For instance, in Ardrossan, initially when applications for 12 turbines were submitted which would overlook the town, there was understandably, considerable concern. Yet a year after it was commissioned, one of the town’s councillors stated that, “the Ardrossan wind farm has been overwhelmingly accepted by local people – instead of spoiling the landscape, we believe it has been enhanced. The turbines are impressive looking, bring a calming effect to the town and, contrary to the belief that they would be noisy, we have found them to be silent workhorses [5].”

A 2003 survey of residents living around Scotland’s 10 existing wind farms found high levels of community acceptance and strong support for wind power, with much support from those who lived closest to the wind farms. The results of this survey support those of an earlier Scottish Executive survey ‘Public attitudes to the Environment in Scotland 2002′, which found that the Scottish public would prefer the majority of their electricity to come from renewables, and which rated wind power as the cleanest source of renewable energy. This ‘Public attitudes to the Environment in Scotland’ was repeated again in 2005 (See results below) [6]. Of course, it would be interesting to see the next results to come when tidal and wave power comes into question, or for when it does become commercially viable.