Energy & CleanTech
Scotland has long-standing expertise in energy
& cleantech and is endowed with some of the most favourable
energy resources in Europe.
As a result the oil and gas and renewable
energy sectors are incredibly dynamic in terms of innovation,
development and diversification. The city's universities are
leading a number of multi-disciplinary research projects and
training courses.
These factors will become increasingly
significant in coming years as Scotland’s energy sector continues
to evolve and face up to new challenges.
Oil and Gas
Oil and gas have had a momentous impact upon
Scotland since oil was first discovered in UK waters in 1966. Oil
and gas production is a multi-billion pound business worldwide.
Heriot-Watt University, has the largest
Petroleum Engineering research programme in the UK and is
recognised as a specialist centre of excellence, reflecting
Edinburgh’s research strength in the academic disciplines
associated with oil and gas.
Renewable Energy
With the implications of climate change,
concern about the environment and the hunt for renewable sources of
energy, attention is focused on making current energy technologies
more efficient as well as finding sources of future energy
supply.
Developers of the world’s first commercial
wave farm, and Renewable Devices, responsible for the world’s first
silent, building-mountable wind turbine are both Edinburgh based
companies.
CleanTech
The Institute of Petroleum Engineering is part of a team
carrying out the first UK project to investigate underground CO2
storage from coal-fired power plants, essential to slash the amount
of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during electricity
production. Five industrial partners, led by Scottish Power, are
collaborating on the £2.5M project with the Scottish Centre for
Carbon Research (SCCS), a partnership between Heriot-Watt, the
University of Edinburgh and the British Geological Survey.
