Welcome Message
First Minister, the Right Honourable Alex Salmond MP MSP.
The core Purpose of the Scottish Government is to increase sustainable economic growth in Scotland. Nothing embodies that vision better than Scotland's vast potential in renewable energy; and the great strides we are making to secure that potential. This summer alone, we saw around £1 billion of new private sector investment flow into Scotland's renewable energy industry.
Scotland has already won the natural lottery once with oil and gas. And now, with our huge renewable energy resources – in wave, wind, hydro, solar and biomass – we have won once again, providing an outstanding opportunity for global leadership in the energy technologies of the future.
In a speech to the National Geographic Society earlier this year in Washington D.C., I was delighted to announce that the Scottish Government is to offer the world's largest ever single prize for innovation in marine renewable energy. The Saltire Prize is a £10 million award designed to galvanise world scientists to push the frontiers of innovation in the crucial area of clean, green energy.
We established an independent expert Committee to design the specifics of the challenge, details of which were announced in Edinburgh this week (2nd December 2008). Their expert decision has kicked off a worldwide competition to advance marine renewables technology for the benefit of the world. Find out more about the details of this challenge.
With the Saltire Prize, we aim to inspire scientists around the world to help in the global battle against climate change and to help accelerate the benefits of the most promising renewable energy technologies.
Our feature "Scotland's Renewable Energy Industry" presents Scotland's impressive expertise in this field. The "Scottish Landscape" explores the natural resources which lend Scotland perfectly to a renewable energy future.
I hope that you enjoy this special edition of Scotland Now and look forward to sharing with you the outcome of the Saltire Prize.
Further Information
