Young professionals who have identified ‘invisible energy’ and produced biofuel from whisky waste are competing for the top prizes in a new awards programme for young professionals working in Scotland’s renewables industry.
Scottish Renewables’ inaugural Young Professionals Green Energy Awards were launched to showcase what the organisers describe as ‘the enormous range of fresh talent in the industry’.
More than 100 entries from newcomers to Scotland’s thriving renewable energy sector were whittled down to a shortlist of 30, which will officially announced last week.
No fewer than four employees from Muirhall Energy – a wind farm developer based in Carnwath, Lanarkshire – have been nominated for their work on projects across central Scotland. Shortlisted in the Academic category is Sean MacDougall, who worked on a project to convert “invisible” light not seen by solar cells into “visible” light, increasing efficiency and reducing cost. Sean won two research prizes and a scholarship to the acclaimed Chinese Academy of Sciences while studying at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.
In the Achiever category, Dr Eve Bird of Celtic Renewables is shortlisted for her work in purifying waste residues from the whisky industry into an advanced biofuel. The founders of the burgeoning Women in Renewable Energy Scotland network, Gail Watt and Rajini Sokhi, are shortlisted for the Campaigner award, while Richard Copeland of Repsol, who was Engineering Co-Ordinator for the Inch Cape offshore wind farm at the age of 23, is in the running for the Leader award.
Other awards will go to the leading Innovator, Entrepreneur, Pioneer and Professional, and there will be a special Judges Award for an outstanding entry from across all categories.
Jillian McKenna, Director of Marketing at Scottish Renewables, says, “We were delighted by the quantity and the quality of the entries to these new awards, which proved what we all knew – that there is a fantastic wealth of young talent out there in the renewable energy sector.
“Our industry is one that was built by pioneers and innovators, and now we can see an exciting new generation coming through. The ambitious and skilled young professionals on our shortlist are the future of renewable energy in Scotland, and are making the breakthroughs and tackling the challenges which will create jobs, reduce carbon emissions and help to secure a stable energy future for us all.”
The Young Professionals Green Energy Awards ceremony, supported by headline sponsor EDF Energy Renewables, will be held on May 28 2015 at the Glasgow Science Centre.