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Green energy excellence to be rewarded
15/08/2007
The Scottish Government's first Saltire Prize for innovation in industry will reward the best efforts to develop cutting edge renewable energy technology, it was announced today.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney was speaking at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney where he discussed opportunities to capitalise on Scotland's vast potential to generate energy from renewable sources.
The Saltire Prize will be an annual award that provides funding to projects that demonstrate the best of innovation in different areas of industry and business. The first award will be made in 2008 and will focus solely on renewable energy.
Mr Swinney said:
"Scotland has a huge renewable energy potential - enough to meet its demand for power almost 10 times over. Our coastal geography and tidal channels mean we can be a world leader in new wave and tidal energy technologies.
"The pioneering work of the European Marine Energy Centre is a perfect example of how we can successfully achieve this.
"The Scottish Government is determined to support these new technologies wherever possible - both to help tackle climate change and to increase sustainable economic growth.
"This is why the first Saltire Prize will focus on renewable energy. The aim of the award is to encourage and harness the best of Scotland's innovation.
"Clean, sustainable energy is vital to Scotland's future - to secure power supplies with fewer emissions. Innovative work which will help us to deliver this will be rewarded, both through the first year of the Saltire Prize and with the support of the Scottish government wherever possible."
Full details of the Saltire Prize will be released in Autumn 2007.