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Scotland's biggest green awards now open
29 July 2008
Nominations are now open for the 2008 Green Energy Awards sponsored by n-power renewables. Scotland’s biggest green awards are organised by Scottish Renewables the green energy trade body (1). Now entering its seventh year, the awards attracted over 700 people to the event last year, and for 2008 will feature nine categories including Best Community Initiative and for the first time a Best Student Project award.
Last year, First Minister Alex Salmond won Best Politician Award for his campaigning to ensure the energy industry is regulated in a way that helps rather than hinders the growth of renewables in Scotland. Most of the nine categories (2) focus on how green energy is being rolled out in Scotland and the successful companies that are leading the way. But the awards also span a Best Community Initiative category sponsored by energy company E.ON which showcases the importance of communities themselves realising the benefits of both small and large scale renewables development in Scotland.
Previous winners have included a village hall network in Angus working to install renewable energy into their facilities and the Island of Gigha for their community owned wind farm (3).
Jason Ormiston, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables said, “All over Scotland communities are picking up the climate change gauntlet and going head to head with fuel poverty using renewables to help them. The volunteers, businesses, organisations and individuals who work at the community level are real green energy heroes and that is why the Best Community Initiative is one of the most keenly contested accolades at the Green Energy Awards. Past winners are a beacon of hope and have proved an inspiration to others and we call on all those communities across Scotland which have done their bit to come forward and nominate themselves.”
Dave Rogers, regional director of E.ON Climate and Renewables: said: “E.ON recognises that Scotland is a vital part of our plans now and in the future. We have a growing presence in Scotland; we opened the Steven’s Croft biomass power station earlier this year and we are working on Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth to stand alongside our growing portfolio of Scottish windfarms. We’re therefore delighted to sponsor the Best Community Initiative award at this year’s Scottish Green Energy Awards to support and celebrate developments that will help to fight climate change.”
Notes
Contact- Mark Ruskell Communications Manager
M: 0771 784 2508 T: 0141 222 7924
(1) Scottish Renewables is the green energy trade association for the renewable energy industry in Scotland. Its 240 members employ nearly 3,000 people and have an annual turnover of more than £500 million. The membership spans all areas of renewable energy technology and includes industry stakeholders such as academic institutions and environmental NGOs.
(2) 2008 Categories below. For details on nominating visit www.greenenergyawards.co.uk deadline for nominations is October 3rd 2008. The awards will be held at The Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 4th December.
Best Politician sponsored by British Wind Energy Association
This Award recognises the achievements of politicians working to support renewable energy in Scotland. The politician could be an MSP, an MP or MEP with a Scottish constituency or a local councillor in Scotland and they should currently hold an elected post.
Best Student Project sponsored by REpower UK
This award will be given to an individual who is finishing an undergraduate or post graduate degree and has completed a piece of work which is recognised as having highlighted issues or potential for the industry.
Best New Business sponsored by All Energy Opportunities
This Award recognises the work of businesses that are newly established in Scotland.
Best Environmental Initiative sponsored by BRE
This Award recognises how the renewables industry, projects and/or initiatives can help to assist in achieving wider environmental goals.
Best Renewable Project sponsored by Scottish Power
This Award is for either a renewable project in Scotland in the last three years that is producing renewable energy, or an initiative with a physical presence that is offering support to the wider renewables industry.
Best Community Initiative sponsored by E.ON
This Award will go to an initiative that has been led and developed by a community and with wider community support in Scotland.
Business Achievement Award sponsored by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group
For businesses able to demonstrate how they have worked to secure business within the emerging renewable industry, either through diversification, or through working as part of the supply chain to ensure the economic benefits of renewables are seen in Scotland.
Best Renewable Innovation sponsored by Scottish Enterprise
This Award will go to a project or initiative that shows innovative use of promotion and/or development of renewables in Scotland.
Outstanding Contribution to the Industry sponsored by Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Key to success will be how the drive, expertise and enthusiasm of the person has been critical to ensuring development of renewables in Scotland.
(3) Previous winners of the Best Community Initiative award
2004 Wick Community District Heating Scheme
The winner is a community initiative that the judges felt showed a clear commitment of a local community to work together to address energy problems, and use community led schemes as a demonstrator of what is possible. This project has a clear long term vision in an energy initiative to benefit one third of the Community through biomass heating.
2005 Gigha Renewable Energy Limited & Westray Development Trust
Gigha Renewable Energy Limited - Three refurbished wind turbines were installed on the Isle of Gigha, by the community, to generate income to enable the island to be financially, socially and environmentally sustainable. The dancing Ladies of Gigha, as they are affectionately known, now generate in excess on 125% of electricity and annual income of over £70,000.00 per annum.
2006 Boyndie Wind Farm Co-operative
This co-operative is the first in Scotland with more than a thousand people in the local area investing in the project. 2007 Angus Village Halls Renewable Energy Group The Angus Village Halls Renewable Energy Group is a network of communities in rural Tayside who have come together supported by SCARF’s Tayside SCHRI Development Officer and the local authority community education department to develop a peer education approach to developing renewable energy projects