Scotland opens green energy centre

The aim of the centre, which has been developed with £1.6 million investment from the European Regional Development Fund, will be to support the Scottish green energy sector collaborate with Europe through partnerships as well as accessing European funding. It will focus on marine energy, offshore wind, long distance super grid development and smart distribution grids, as well as carbon capture and storage, renewable heat and energy efficiency. It has a further £1 million in funding to come from the Scottish Government over the next three years.

SEGEC is based within the University of Aberdeen, which has invested £500,000 into facilities for the centre. It is located near the National Subsea Research Institute (NRSI) within the university, which it is expected to work closely with SEGEC.

Commenting on the opening, First Minister Alex Salmond said: "The Scottish European Green Energy Centre aims to build on Aberdeen's long-established global reputation as an energy hub by positioning Scotland at the forefront of European innovation, research and development in clean, renewable energy. The £1.6 million investment of European funding will, through SEGEC, embrace the energy related opportunities presented through Scotland's leading global effort to reduce climate change. Scotland's natural capital can create tens of thousands of green jobs."

 SEGEC has been established as a company limited by guarantee and head of ITI Energy, Duncan Botting, was recently named the executive chair of the centre. Other board members are being drawn from research partners, the energy industry and Government bodies.

SEGEC executive chair Duncan Botting said the centre offered an important opportunity to deliver "real world demonstration and deployment projects of scale" in the cleantech and renewable sectors for Scotland.

 "We have already started work by identifying and facilitating no less than three key European Recovery Fund projects that were delivered to the European Commission in mid-July. The partners involved with this process have commended SEGEC for the high degree of quality and excellence in service that we have been able to offer," he said.

Scotland has set the world's most ambitious climate change targets, through legislation that will aim to cut the nation's CO2 emissions by 42 per cent by 2020.