Storage Technology in Scotland’s Future Energy Strategy

South of Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine has used a debate on Scotland’s future Energy Strategy to highlight the importance of developing energy storage technologies. 

 

Ms McAlpine said that investment in energy storage would be a major boost to Scotland’s long-term ambition to be a greener nation, as well as a tremendous opportunity to create sustainable employment in assembly, manufacturing and operation.  

 

She said:

 

“The renewables sector has already led to the establishment of an industry that is responsible for 11,000 full-time jobs in Scotland and billions of pounds of inward investment.

 

“However, one key dimension to the renewables revolution which deserves more attention is energy storage technology. Being “the Saudi Arabia of renewables” is of little use without somewhere to store all the green energy. Scottish Renewables agrees and argues that we will, by 2030, need better storage as well as increased interconnection.

 

“Brian Richardson, who is a constituent of mine and the chief executive officer of Energy Storage Scotland, as well as D&G Chamber of Commerce, has convincingly argued that the development of storage technology in Scotland presents an exceptional opportunity for training, jobs and a place in the global market. Although we have a tried and tested technology in pump storage, on which we lead, many other exciting energy storage technologies are being developed around the world, and our universities—in particular, Heriot-Watt University—are keen to develop them further in Scotland.

 

“These technologies would be a major boost to rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway, as storage centres would have to be located close to the source of  

 

On 5 March, Ms McAlpine will host a presentation in the Scottish Parliament by Energy Storage Scotland and Heriot-Watt University’s energy academy on the development of those technologies.