If you’d like to hear more about our work in this important area, please get in touch.

Nick Sharpe
Director of Communications
E: nsharpe@scottishrenewables.com

Grid briefing media success

Nick and Ewan will be heading north in the next few weeks to meet with local media outlets to discuss the campaign in more detail.

Labour and SNP Conferences

Scottish Renewables will be attending the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on October 8-11 and SNP Conference in Aberdeen on October 15-17 with our exhibition stand.

If you have any questions about our political engagement during conference season, please contact Jack.

Blog: Do you want to work with us?

Scotland’s renewable energy sector is expanding at unprecedented speed, and as its representative body Scottish Renewables needs to keep pace.

For the first time we're holding an open recruitment campaign to find the people we desperately need to fill roles across the organisation.

Read more in our latest blog.

Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 5 Results

On September 8 the UK Government announced the results of Allocation Round 5 (AR5) of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme.

In what represents a hugely disappointing outcome, the allocation round failed to secure any offshore wind projects, either fixed bottom or floating. 

Commenting on the announcement, Claire Mack said: “Industry has repeatedly warned of the cost pressures and increased challenges facing developers, but the UK Government failed to heed these warnings and is now seeing the effect of that inaction.

“Today’s results are a major blow and should serve as an indication that urgent reform is needed. Every megawatt of renewable energy which isn’t built right now prolongs our dependence on generation using expensive imported gas, which costs consumers money."

Overall, AR5 awarded contracts totaling 3.7GW of capacity - the lowest level since AR2 in 2017, and just over a third of the capacity secured in AR4 last year.

Going forward, SR will continue to engage with government to ensure that lessons are learned from this allocation round, and we will be advocating that AR6 maximises the delivery of renewables projects in order to restore investor confidence and maintain the credibility of the UK's deployment targets.

Please get in touch with Andrew if you would like to discuss this.

News release: Radical shake up of the energy market would create huge uncertainty for renewable energy investors

Plans to overhaul the electricity market through Locational Marginal Pricing are being considered by the Government and energy regulator Ofgem - a move which could create huge uncertainty for renewable energy investors and increase the cost of electricity for consumers.

A report published last month by Cornwall Insight, commissioned by Scottish Renewables, RenewableUK and Solar Energy UK, found that focusing on reforming the Contracts for Difference mechanism could achieve Ofgem’s aims to reform electricity markets without risking the loss of billions of pounds of investment in cheap renewable energy.

Claire Mack said: "The Contracts for Difference mechanism will continue to be the workhorse of renewable energy deployment as we move towards the targets that will bring about a decarbonised power sector and a net-zero economy."

News release: Offshore wind pioneer scoops top award at Net-Zero Energy Transition Awards

Last month more than 260 people from across Scotland’s renewable energy supply chain came together in Aberdeen for the Net-Zero Energy Transition Awards, where eight winners were recognised for their work in delivering the energy transition.

Claire Mack said: “What an honour it has been to celebrate Scotland’s diverse supply chain at Scottish Renewables’ Net-Zero Energy Transition Awards.

“With a wealth of green energy projects already in development and with many more to come it is vital that we have a supplier network ready to help deliver the energy we need to power our future with a cleaner, resilient, cheaper and more secure energy system."

View the full list of winners on our website.

SOWEC – Supply Chain and Clusters Working Group

Head of Energy Transition and Supply Chain Emma Harrick attended the SOWEC Supply Chain and Clusters working group meeting in Glasgow this month. The group includes representatives from across industry including developers, ports and supply chain companies. The meeting focused on the work of the offshore wind clusters and the support businesses need to succeed in this growing sector.

Get in touch if you would like to discuss this.

Out and About

As always, the Energy Transition and Supply Chain team have been busy attending events, visiting members and meeting industry stakeholders. This month the team met with Mott MacDonald and toured the Renewable Parts facility in Glasgow. Further afield, the team visited Clarksons' new office in Edinburgh and spent a day in Montrose at the Port and with member company Bruce Anchor.

To learn more about our activities keep an eye out for our quarterly Out and About emails. The last edition is available on our website.

Supply Chain Networking Reception

In partnership with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), we are proud to host a member-only supply chain networking reception for the Scottish renewable energy industry on Tuesday, September 26.

We look forward to bringing together Ministers, MSPs, developers and supply chain businesses to hear updates on key initiatives such as the Collaborative Framework and the Strategic Investment Model (SIM).

To be added to the waiting list for this sold-out event, please contact Sophie.

Permitted Development Rights Review: Phase 3

Scottish Renewables has submitted a response to The Scottish Government’s consultation on the Permitted Development Rights Review: Phase 3. This phase of the review focuses on renewable energy equipment, replacement windows, electricity network infrastructure, reverse vending machines and temporary use of land for shooting ranges.

Mandatory training on planning for elected members

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on the implementation of mandatory training on planning for elected members. Scottish Renewables is mentioned in the associated consultation document and partial business regulatory impact assessment.

Contact Morag if you would like to discuss this.

Nick Winser Report Engagement with Prime Minister and First Minister

On August 4, the UK’s Electricity Networks Commissioner, Nick Winser, published his independent recommendations on how to accelerate the deployment of electricity transmission infrastructure.

In response, Claire Mack wrote to the Prime Minister and First Minister calling for The Scottish and UK Governments to work together with industry to deliver a focused information campaign on the need for new grid infrastructure as recommended by the commissioner.

The First Minister has responded to Scottish Renewables confirming The Scottish Government’s support for a national public information campaign and we are engaging on this issue with the Minister for Networks, Andrew Bowie MP.

If you have any questions, please contact Jack.

Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal

The final draft of the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal was circulated to members and final feedback was gathered on August 25. The Onshore Wind Sector Deal will be published on September 21 at our Onshore Wind Conference 2023.

Contact Morag if you would like to discuss this.

SR Response to Scottish Government Call for Views: Strategic Compensation – Marine Recovery Fund

SR has welcomed the opportunity to submit a response to The Scottish Government's Marine Directorate's call for views on the implementation of a Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), at UK or Scottish levels, and the compensation measures that it will support. 

Our response highlights that a MRF, either at a Scottish or a UK-wide level, would be a positive step in simplifying consenting and increasing efficiency for all stakeholders concerned.

SR has provided feedback from members in an informal consultation response and therefore reserves the right to revise and amend any comments from this document with further input from SR members in the event of a formal consultation process. 

National Marine Plan 2 Steering Group: Terms of Reference

The Scottish Government has published the National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) Steering Group: Terms of Reference, which cover the aims and key terms of the group, as well as detail of the roles and responsibilities of its chair, secretariat and members (including Scottish Renewables).

The plan is expected to be adopted by late 2025, as set out in the Programme for Government 2022-23. As key members of the NMP2 steering group SR continues to engage regularly with Scottish Government on the development of NMP2. A reminder that the NMP Forum (June 15) recording which SR attended is available online.

Get in touch with Mark if you would like to discuss this.

Sarah Boyack MSP Visit to Shawfair Heat Network

On August 16 Jack Norquoy joined the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net-Zero, Energy and Just Transition, Sarah Boyack MSP, on a visit to the Shawfair Town heat network.

The joint venture between Vattenfall Heat UK and Midlothian Council will deliver low-carbon heating to around 3,000 homes, education and retail properties.

If you are interested in organising visits by MSPs and MPs to your projects, please contact Jack.

Letter to the editor, the Herald

Following extensive media coverage on heat pumps in the Scottish media, Morag Watson sent a letter to The Herald in response to the article "No more cash for solar panels without heat system upgrade".

Energy Saving Trust – MSC Certification

We continue to engage with the Energy Saving Trust, who are a trusted voice on energy efficiency and clean energy solutions and work to support a smart, decarbonised, decentralised energy system.

As part of EST's Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme, MSC Certification funding is now available to support heating engineers to pay their first certification fees for heat pumps (air, ground or water source) installation. Find out more on the Energy Saving Trust website.

Heat Networks regulation: consumer protection consultation

Ofgem and DESNZ are consulting on the consumer protection aspect of heat networks regulation. Heat legislation is mainly devolved in Scotland, apart from consumer protection, which is a reserved matter, therefore the rules agreed by this consultation will apply in Scotland, alongside the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021.

Please get in touch if you would like to comment or add to the Scottish Renewables' response.

NGESO Connections Reform Consultation

Scottish Renewables has submitted a response to the National Grid ESO (NGESO) Connections Reform Consultation.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this in more detail, please contact Stephen.

TNUoS Task Force

A meeting of the TNUoS Task Force took place on August 18.

Members can find all relevant information about the Task Force - such as meeting papers, presentations, webinars and podcasts - on the Charging Futures webpage.

Future System Operator: second policy consultation and project update

On August 4 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a consultation on two new policy areas for the Future System Operator related to resilience and security, as well as an update on overall FSO project status, including implementation and potential future roles.

Scottish Renewables will be actively engaging with our members on this in upcoming weeks. The closing date is October 20.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this in more detail, please contact Stephen.