Highland fling for marine renewables

A record number of Highlands and Islands businesses geared up to showcase the best of the region’s talent at the UK’s largest renewable energy event in Aberdeen.

Joining more than 350 exhibitors from across the globe at this year’s exhibition were 45 companies from the region which is gaining international recognition for its ground-breaking renewable energy projects.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will be exhibiting alongside the other Highlands and Islands companies on the HI-energy pavilion. HI-energy is the brand that was established by HIE in partnership with industry and other public sector organisations to represent the growing renewable energy industry in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

HIE also hosted a workshop on green data centre opportunities aimed a renewable energy developers looking for alternate routes to market.

Calum Davidson, HIE’s head of key sectors, who chaired the green data centre session said, ‘One of the key obstacles to the development of new data storage capacity is the availability of cheap, scaleable and reliable power. Conversely, a significant challenge for renewable energy developers is the availability of the grid. The objective of this session is to explore a mutually beneficial solution to these challenges.’

The Highlands and Islands region has some of the world’s best natural resources for renewable energy. In addition to this, the area is home to EMEC, the world’s first grid-connected marine energy test centre in Orkney; the Talisman Beatrice project, the world’s first deep-water offshore wind farm; and the Limpet on Islay, the world’s first grid-connected wave device.

Audrey MacIver, head of HIE’s energy team added, ‘We are delighted to see a record number of Highlands and Islands companies attending this year. All Energy is the ideal place to tell the rest of the world what the Highlands and Islands has to offer in terms of renewable energy resource, infrastructure and a highly skilled local supply chain.’