This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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World Renewable Energy Congress
23/05/2005
The Executive is determined to support all forms of renewable energy, the World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC) in Aberdeen was told today.
Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace said developing all sources of clean energy would help create jobs and cut harmful emissions causing global warming.
He also pointed to four new developments that demonstrate the Executive is backing a variety of technologies and not relying solely on wind energy.
Mr Wallace said Scotland - and Aberdeen in particular - had the potential to be at the centre of the global development of renewable energy.
He said:
"You don't have to spend long in Scotland to realise we have tremendous natural resources to exploit. There's no shortage of wind in this country, but we also have a massive expanse of coastline, huge areas of woodland and miles and miles of rivers.
"Even a brief consideration of this huge potential for generating power shows we would be foolish to rely just on one source. Today I can demonstrate practically that this is not the case. We are not placing all our eggs in one basket - wind energy will only be part of a mix of sources if we are to meet our target of ensuring 40 per cent of electricity generated in this country comes from renewable sources by 2020.
"Power from biomass, rivers, the tide and from sunlight can all make a valuable contribution to Scotland's renewable future. They can all help cut the harmful emissions that cause climate change. At WREC today I am announcing measures that show we are making progress on all these fronts.
"Biomass produces energy from wood fuel or energy crops without generating additional harmful emissions that cause global warming. Today I can confirm the Executive is now looking at how, rather than whether, we should fund biomass development in Scotland. I expect to be able to announce further details shortly.
"Hydroelectric power stations have long played a vital role in generating power for Scottish homes. A 3MW station at the River E in the Highlands, close to Loch Ness will now add to this capacity after it was granted consent by the Executive.
"When it first opened, the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney was purely about harnessing the power of the waves. All necessary funding is now in place to allow generators to go beneath the surface and test devices that will exploit the power of the tide.
"The technology behind renewable energy is new, innovative and rapidly developing. We are determined to be at the heart of this development on a global scale. That is one of the key reasons why we have established Intermediary Technology Institute Energy and today I can reveal it will invest £1 million in a project investigating the use of hydrogen as an energy store.
"Later today I will visit the Bridge of Don Academy to officially open the largest solar heating installation in the UK. This demonstrates the key role solar energy can play. It may not be suited to large scale power stations, but on a local level it can provide significant levels of clean energy.
"All this does not mean we are ignoring on and off shore wind power. Clearly, as a developed, relatively cheap technology, wind energy can and will play a major role in meeting our targets. What today demonstrates is that we are committed to developing the whole wide range of renewable technologies. Each has a contribution to make and we are determined to support them all, every step of the way."
Aberdeen is hosting the ninth annual WREC which was held in Denver, Colorado, last year. There are around 500 delegates from 100 countries.
WREC promotes global information sharing between policy makers, researchers, manufacturers, economists, financiers, government officials and others in plenary or technical sessions and conversations.
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) was opened last August and is already the established facility for the testing of wave energy conversion devices. Work on extending the facility to include testing facilities for tidal energy devices will begin in June (2005) and is expected to be completed by December (2005).
Commitments made by the funders against estimated total project costs of £6 million are:
European Regional Development Fund - £2.04 million
Scottish Executive - £1.08 million
Highlands and Islands Enterprise network - £1.08 million
Department of Trade and Industry - £700,000
Scottish Enterprise - £600,000
Orkney Islands Council - £500,000
Actual contributions may vary from these committed levels.
The Carbon Trust has also committed £812,000 towards revenue costs of the Centre.
The River E flows off the north-western slopes of the Monadhliath Mountains discharging directly into Loch Mhor which in turn drains into the River Foyers.
The landscape through which the River E flows is largely dominated by extensive tracts of wet dwarf shrub heath and blanket bog.
The "run-of river" hydro-electric generating scheme compromises an intake weir; an underground pipeline; a powerhouse containing a turbine, generator, transformer and associated equipment; a tailrace which transfers water from the powerhouse back to the river; a powerline; and permanent access tracks to the intake and powerhouse.
At Bridge of Don the installation of the solar panels started on April 4, 2005 and was completed on April 29. It consists of 60 individual panels, a total gross area of 180 square metres, at a cost of £100,000 funded solely by Aberdeen City Council. The solar array will reduce CO2 emissions by around 30 tonnes per annum.
Riomay, the supplier of the "Suntube" technology, state that this is the largest array of its kind across Europe. The installation was sub-contracted to Monaghan and Hornal, based in Dunblane.