Scotland’s Energy Challenge to the World Unveiled
Details of one of the world’s biggest ever international innovation prizes was unveiled in Edinburgh on 2nd December.
Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, hosted a reception at Edinburgh Castle for an audience of leading scientists, environmentalists and potential entrants to the competition, where the much-anticipated details of the challenge were revealed.
The international experts on the Saltire Prize Challenge Committee met and agreed the terms of the world’s largest single prize for renewable marine energy development.
Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and Chair of the Challenge Committee, announced the details of the challenge, which is:
The £10 million Saltire Prize will be awarded to the team that can demonstrate, in Scottish waters, a commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology – that achieves a minimum electrical output of 100 GWh over a continuous 2 year period –using only the power of the sea and is judged to be the best overall technology after consideration of cost, environmental sustainability and safety.
What it will take for success
Simply put, innovation prizes are successful when people want to win them. The Scottish Government wants the Saltire Prize to achieve the profile that will engender the kind of return on investment that makes innovation prizes successful (for example, the Ansari X Prize of $10 million led to $200 million in R&D).
The key elements of the Saltire Prize are:
- capturing imaginations: challenge that can inspire a revolution in green energy
- global challenge: high profile prize open to teams from across the world
- relevant to Scotland: relevant to area in which Scotland has strong natural resource and can be demonstrated in Scotland
- capitalises on Scotland's expertise: challenge will reflect area in which Scotland has strong technical expertise and people already working
- achievable in the short-medium term: challenge ideally achievable within a 2-5 year timeframe
With 16 per cent of electricity already generated by renewables, Scotland is a world-leader in alternative energy. The Saltire Prize capitalises on Scotland's strengths and carries the potential for Scotland to advance its own economy and energy independence while making a substantial contribution to the world's most pressing challenges.
Further Information
