JUNE/JULY 2013 | £5.25 - Wind Energy Network

SPOTLIGHT ON WEST OF SCOTLANDSPOTLIGHT ON WEST OF SCOTLANDHonorary degrees forindustry leadersSpotlighton the West ofScotlandSo often overlooked in the windenergy industry, this area issuch an important part in thelarger scheme of things.We let our sponsors for this feature,Scottish Enterprise, explain why…The West of Scotland leads the wayWhen energy giant Areva chose tolocate in Scotland in November lastyear, it said one of the key factorsin its decision was the growingoffshore manufacturing ‘cluster’in Scotland, where the companyintends to base its site.The wider pictureThe wider picture, however, is that thereare now more than 40 investmentsor intended investments in offshorerenewable power located right aroundthe country, from Strathclyde to theShetlands.Scotland is rapidly becoming a leadingglobal light in the ongoing development ofrenewable energy. As well as having thenatural resources, we are also home tosome of the leading experts, innovatorsand operators in the sector.West of Scotland focusThe west of the country shows a distinctfocus on research and development. InGlasgow, the International Technologyand Renewable Energy Zone (ITREZ), willbring together academia, research andbusiness to create a hub of activity aroundthe renewables sector.Industrial revolutionEwen Cameron, a Senior Manager inrenewables & low carbon technologies atScottish Enterprise, says:“Scotland is at the forefront of this new‘industrial revolution’, and that it shouldremain so.“We’re determined to see Scotlandrealise its potential within this remarkablenew industry, we provide support inall sorts of ways, from R&D funding toproviding the facilities these companiesneed.“It’s part of our job to make sure theinfrastructure is in place and remainsin place. We’ll keep working with themain players; the researchers and theinnovators; the companies seeking tomake the most of our natural resources,to ensure that remains the case.”ITREZ will be home to the University ofStrathclyde’s Technology InnovationCentre and Scottish Enterprise’s newindustry engagement building - Inovo,as well as the headquarters of the UK’sOffshore Energy Catapult. The Catapultis a £50million technology innovationproject which aims to improve the riskprofile around new offshore renewableenergy technologies, making them morebankable.Scottish Enterprisewww.scottish-enterprise.comClick to view more info= Click to view videoWind turbine test centreElsewhere in the West, Scottish Enterpriseand SSE are creating an offshore windturbine test centre at Hunterston onthe coast of North Ayrshire – capableof hosting three full scale wind turbinesdesigned for offshore deployment.60 www.windenergynetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 61