Energy research centres

Key expertise

• Marine engineering
• Renewables engineering
• Fisheries
• Marine hatchery
• Aquaculture
• Fish biology
• Nautical studies
• Shipping simulator
• Life Sciences (SSQC)

Key contact
e: Alan Bourhill
t: +44 (0) 1595 772000

Marine and renewable engineering

NAFC Marine Centre is UHI’s most northerly campus.The NAFC Marine Centre UHI was established by the Shetland Islands Council in 1992 (as the North Atlantic Fisheries College) to support Shetland’s fisheries industries, which form an important part of the islands’ economy.

Clients include the nautical, fisheries, engineering, aquaculture and scientific sectors and other emerging industries that may contribute to sustainable development. The Marine Science and Technology department at the NAFC Marine Centre is divided into four sections: Aquaculture Development, Fisheries Science, Marine Environment, and Marine Planning, Policy and Advice, although many staff have input to more than one section due to the multidisciplinary approach that is applied to many of our projects.

They conduct applied research and provide training and advice to marine-based industries and other stakeholders within Shetland, wider Scotland and beyond , with the aim of adding positively to the viability of industry sectors, to train and educate people of all ages and backgrounds, and to help integrate people and the marine environment.

Energy specific activities — providing maritime training, research and development, marine resource monitoring, inspection, advice and management.  Focus areas include:

• Marine spacial planning as a mechanism to achieve sustainable management in the marine environment

• Identification and profiling of potential marine energy resources on Shetland

Previous projects at NAFC Marine Centre:

Shetland Marine Energy Development (SMED) — Project using the Shetland Marine Spatial Plan to identify suitable sites for marine renewable energy projects in the islands.

Key expertise

• Crop research
• Agronomy
• Agriculture

e: Peter Martin
t: +44 (0) 1856 569298

Biofuel development and refining

The Institute is based at Orkney College UHI and provides a research facility for the development of plants and plant-based products within UHI focusing particularly on the Highlands, Western Isles and the Northern Isles and currently runs major agronomy projects in most of Northern Scotland. These are in collaboration with a wide range of academic, business and SME partners.
The AI has a wide portfolio of research falling into the main categories

• Cereals
• Biomass for fuel crops
• Plants for high value extracts
• Biodiversity

Energy specific activities — A field crop research facility for the development and promotion of temperate plants and their products that includes investigation of crops for biomass fuel production. Focus areas include:

• Field trials and supply chain research to develop biomass crops for energy - short rotation coppice willow and grass crops.

Previous projects at the Agronomy Institute:

Key expertise

• Housing and industrial developments
• Pipelines
• Turbine development
• turbine testing
• Road schemes
• Tidal energy modelling
• tidal testing
• Conservation Areas including World Heritage Sites

e: Jane Downes
t: + 44 (0) 1856 569320

e: Nick Card
t: +44 (0) 1856 569342

ORCA website

Archaeological and Geophysical services, Environmental Impact Surveys.

Orkney College UHI Geophysics Unit is an extremely well equipped unit offering geophysical and conventional surveys for archaeological and shallow environmental needs. The unit has undertaken work for a wide range of clients across the UK.

Using Total Station and GPS systems their experienced team can produce earthwork plans, contour/topographic surveys and digital terrain models. The results are produced in CAD format and can be incorporated into GIS along with other types of archaeological data.

Energy specific activities — ORCA offers a range of archaeological and geophysical services to support the deployment of renewable energy projects.

• Environmental Impact Assessments, site evaluation, surveys and excavation for land-based and marine renewables.

Geophysical equipment

The Unit owns a wide range of state-of the art equipment;

• Two Bartington Grad 601-2 Gradiometers
• Geoscan Research FM36 Gradiometer
• Bartington Magnetic Susceptibility System
• Geoscan Research RM15 Resistance Meter with Multiplexer
• Geonics EM38 Electromagnetic system (EM)
• GSSI Sir 3000 Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
• Iris Syscal Pro Electrical Imaging System
• Trimble Global Positional Satellite system
• Trimble Autolock Total Station
• Field computers & Portable Printers

Key expertise

• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Environment and Heritage
• Nuclear Decommissioning & Environmental Remediation Centre
• Biotechnology & Bioresources
• Climate Change
• Chemical compound testing

Key contact
e: Jacqueline Black
t: +44 (0) 1595 772000

ERI website

Renewable energy and the environment, climate change, bio-technology and bio-resources, environmental impacts.

The survey & research vessel ERI AURORA enables staff and students direct and frequent access to the Pentland Firth - this allows us to support industry and policy makers through the measurement of energy resources and monitoring of environmental impacts.

Research priorities:

• Assessing available resources of marine renewable energy (tidal current, wave and offshore wind) around Scotland.
• Understanding the effects of marine renewable energy devices on the environment.
• Assessing the vulnerability of offshore installations to extreme weather
• Achieving an integrated view of energy generation, energy saving and society
• Understanding the inter-relationships of climate change, energy consumption and generation.

Additional specific themes around these areas are the subject of study at various times;

Current projects at ERI:

AMRECS (Advancing Marine Renewable Energy Research Capacity in Scotland) — SRDG grant funded programme to develop a centre of excellence for marine renewable energy research.

Supergen (Marine Energy Consortium) — Part of phase2 Supergen to increase knowledge and understanding of device-sea interactions of energy converters from model scale in the laboratory to full size in the open sea.

MaREE (Marine Renewable Energy and the Environment) — A project undertaken by ERI and SAMS focussed on environmental issues surrounding the development of marine renewable energy and the socio-economic impacts of such technologies.

MREDS (Marine Renewable Energy Development in Scotland) — Established as a research engagement and co-operation vehicle for a range of stakeholders in scottish marine renewable energy. The programme is led by Heriot Watt ICIT and includes academic research groups, business and economic development interests such as HIE and OIC

Clim-ATIC - Climate change - Adapting to the impacts by communities in the Northern Periphery Regions
This project supported the rural peripheral communities to adpt to the impact of climate change. Clim-ATIC has delivered twelve adaptation demonstration projects under the themes of:  Sustainable transport, Sustainable Energy management, Tourism opportunities and Risk management & Response.

Hebridean Marine Energy Futures
Incorporating LCC, ERI and SAMS with a number of industry partners - most notably Aquamarine and Wavegen - a consortium of  various marine operators and wave technology developers assessing the wave resource to the west of Lewis.

RASLRES - Regional Approaches to Stimulating Local Renewable Energy Solutions
A project aimed at increasing the use and uptake of locally produced energy in rural areas of northern Europe.The project focuses on the use of energy crops such as wood, grass and seaweed.  The project is also developing models that will compare the environmental impact of installing renewable energy heating systems compared to current heating systems.

CoastAdapt
A Northern Periphery Program (NPP) project aimed at safeguarding peoples living in North Atlantic coastal communities and helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Key expertise

• Renewables analysis
• Hydrogen energy
• Marine energy assesments
• Community energy
• Energy and Knowledge Exchange
• Built environment
• Energy use in buildings
• Building energy modelling
• Building energy specifications

Building energy dynamics, measuring and monitoring

Lews Castle College UHI has it's main campus in Stornoway, Lewis. The college functions as a signifcant economic driver within the region, improving the quality of life locally, and acting as a catalyst for a range of development initiatives throughout the region.

Lews Castle College has developed a major facility in the Outer Hebrides to demonstrate to the public and the student body the benets of small scale renewables and the workings of the technology. The recent implementation of a plan to create a Hebridean Hydrogen Park and hydrogen economy have been supplemented by new facilities including the Hydrogen Lab, along with a comprehensive programme of hydrogen-related training, research and development in partnership with the local authority.

A further major development in the economic opportunities of the islands, especially Lewis and Harris, relates to renewable energy. Some of the planned projects are large-scale electricity generation schemes to supply the national grid.

Greenspace Research is a low carbon energy research group based at Lews Castle College UHI. Its mission is to conduct research into new technologies and methodologies which enable carbon emissions reduction at regional, national and transnational scales. Much of its work is focused on the built environment, with the drive towards new, decentralized renewable energy infrastructure also a major priority.  Greenspace Research has been developing the capability to address these research challenges by assembling a multi-disciplinary mix of research-active staff and focusing on the link between fundamental research and cuttingedge technology. Researchers have been drawn from computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics, meteorology, biology, design, economics and policy backgrounds.

Current projects at LCC:

SUSPLAN (PLANning for SUStainability) — SUSPLAN will focus on developing regional and pan-european strategies, recommendations, and benchmarks for the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into future european infrastructures by 2030-2050.

MREDS (Marine Renewable Energy Development in Scotland) — Established as a research engagement and co-operation vehicle for a range of stakeholders in scottish marine renewable energy. The programme is led by Heriot Watt ICIT and includes academic research groups, business and economic development interests such as HIE and OIC

Hebridean Marine Energy Futures
Incorporating LCC, ERI and SAMS with a number of industry partners - most notably Aquamarine and Wavegen - a consortium of  various marine operators and wave technology developers assessing the wave resource to the west of Lewis.

GreenspaceLive project undertakes consultancy to all sectors on early stage building services and energy related solutions. It employs recognised Low Carbon Consultants and is a member of the UK Green Building Council. GreenspaceLive has a wide range of skills at its disposal to cover almost all aspects of a building’s design, construction, services and management influences its energy performance.

OCTES (Opportunities for Community groups Through Energy Storage)
Funded by Northern Periphery Programme and lead by Lews Castle College Engineering Department this initiative aimed to increase the viability of renewable energy solutions in rural regions by influencing consumer behaviour.

SECRE (Social Enterprises in Community Renewable Energy)
Funded by Northern Periphery Programme and lead by North Karelia University of applied sciences this project is a collaboration between 12 partners across the world including LCC Engineering Depertment. The aim is to develop a sustainable service that will effectively deliver knowledge transfer in the area of renewable energy to social enterprises in the community.

ENERMAN Lead by Greenspace Research at Lews Castle College this project is investigating Knowledge exchange for efficient sustainable energy management with the abattoir and dairy industries in Scotland.

LCC engineering department is working together with St Andrews University on an ERDF funded two year project that looks into the promotion of a hydrogen economy.

H2growth
LCC engineering department working together with the Western Isles Local Authority (CnES) on a 3 year ERDF funded project on the development of infrastructure for demonstrating the potential for hydrogen technologies to deliver a low carbon society. The particular focus is the use of hydrogen as an energy store in order to maximise energy capture from constrained or off-grid renewable electricity generation.

FVHYDROGEN - Reducing Fuel Cost on Fishing Vessels using Hydrogen.
A 3 year project funded by European Fisheries Fund (EFF).  A pilot project that will establish how a range of engines could be modified in a way that will maximise the fuel savings whilst ensuring safe operation.

Key expertise

• Practical training in all aspects of micro-renewables
• CPD training
• Biomass
• Solar PV
• Heat pumps
• Wind turbines
• Under-floor heating
• Fully integrated micro systems

Key contact

Micro renewables, installation training

The SEAM Centre is a new training, information and research facility for Sustainable Energy and Micro-renewables based at Inverness College UHI. The Centre provides short course training for qualified plumbers and electricians to give them the skills required to install small-scale renewable energy systems (such as biomass, heat pumps, solar PV, solar hot water and wind turbines) as well as sustainable energy technology (such as underfloor heating and rainwater harvesting). It is also developing continuing professional development (CPD) training for architects, planners and other relevant professions. This will be extended to the provision of education and information on many aspects of renewable energy and sustainable construction for the general public, apprentices and school groups.

The SEAM Centre provides extensive practical training areas and a well appointed teaching space. A range of technologies and manufacturers are represented with fully functioning or demonstration equipment within the centre.

Dimplex and NIBE heat pumps, with Kensa training units

KWB and Palazzetti biomass boilers

GB-Sol solar PV panels

AES Solar thermal collectors

Leading Edge and Proven wind turbines

Rainwater harvesting equipment

Begetube underfloor heating

Current projects at SEAM:

SMALLEST — an NPP programme to help make renewable energy more accessible to the smallest communities in the most remote areas of Northern Europe.

Key expertise

• Forestry skills
• Sustainable forest management
• Woodfuel technology
• Woodfuel research
• Community furnaces and systems

Key contact

Woodfuel systems, technology, installation and training

The Scottish School of Forestry, part of Inverness College UHI, is a self contained site 6 miles from the centre of Inverness with classrooms, workshops, library, computer suite, refectory and students common room. Practical activities take place on its 10 hectare site or in nearby forests. The School has over twenty years experience of delivering practically based forestry training. It offers both FE and HE, including a BSc in Sustainable Forest Management which has achieved widespread recognition for training graduates to meet current and future industry needs.

The School of Construction and Forestry openly encourages links with outside organisations such as Careers Scotland and Highland Secondary Schools and regularly welcomes groups of pupils, teachers and careers advisers in to College for hands on sessions and taster days.

Also based in Inverness College, the Woodland Research Group (WRG) was formed to develop research projects covering all aspects of the functioning, management and utilisation of woodlands with a regional focus on the Highlands and Islands.

The group is lead by a partnership of Highland Birchwoods and Inverness College UHI and brings together a wealth of expertise in applied research in woodland ecology, forest management and timber utilisation including specialist expertise in woodfuel, sustainable forestry, woodland palaeoecology and scrub ecology. The Group has an Advisory Panel drawn from public and private sector interests which will drive its strategic and operational direction with an emphsis on current issues affecting woodlands and forestry.

Current projects:

Forest Energy — The WRG is represented in a COST Action project called 'Forest Energy Action'. It brings together a network of over 30 countries worldwide, looking at the development and harmonisation of new operational research and assessment procedures for sustainable forest biomass supply.
Forest biomass offers the largest potential as a renewable fuel, but a reliable and sustainable supply of forest fuel needs to be ensured and new technological solutions to procure forest biomass are needed. The Action will provide an original synthesis of multidisciplinary research efforts and innovative reference for forest biomass for energy terminology, sampling methods, standard measurements, and research methdodologies. This synthesis will promote the increase in the use of forest biomass for energy as laid out in the EU strategies.

MSc by Research Project in woodfuel supply - Chris Perkins — His research thesis is entitled: 'A GIS Decision Support System for Emerging Woodfuel energy markets', aimed to produce and test a replicable Decision Support System to enable potential actors in the woodfuel supply chain to assess the economic and environmental potential for hte installation of woodfuel technology.

Woodfuel supply chain study (Scottish School of Foresty (SSF), based at the Balloch campus, Inverness College UHI) — The campus installed a woodfuel boiler in 2007 to heat the existing buildings on the site (previously heated by electric storage heaters) and to supply woodchip to two other woodfuel boilers in the surrounding area - one at the new Culloden Battlefield site visitor centre, the other at the FC offices at Smithton. Data has been collected from the supply chain and heating requirements of this functioning woodfuel district heating scheme and functioning supply chain. The data will be analysed to critically assess the viability of this real life local woodfuel use in the Highlands.

Past projects:

NPP Northern Woodheat - The Northern Periphery Program (NPP) Northern WoodHeat project aimed to set up small and medium scale woodfuel supply chains optimising benefits to local communities.

NPP BITWON - The mechanical timber industry is a vital source of employment across the Northern Periphery and is characterised by small and medium sized enterprises. The greatest hindrance to the success of these small and family enterprises in the NPP region is the lack of co-operation, networking, and marketing know-how, and particularly in Sweden and Scotland, the lack of technology expertise.
The BITWON innovation network, investigate, developed and commercialised heat-treated, oil-treated and pressed timber products from the northern periphery area that can be utilised by the DIY and construction markets int he EU region. These products were developed and modified using innovative ideas exchanged by SMEs from the development programme, thereby creating more environmentally friendly products than may of those currently on offer. These products are suitable for the needs of dwelling, interior decorating and construction.

Willow Biomass - Through collaboration with the Agronomy Institute at Orkney College UHI, both Highland Birchwoods and   Inverness College UHI have been involved in two projects involving the trialing and development of short rotation coppice of willow for biomass in Orkney.

Key expertise

• Environmental monitoring
• Marine Science
• Environmental Technology
• Marine renewable energy
• Sea ice and technology;
• Biogeochemisty & earth sciences;
• ecology;
• Marine microbial and molecular biology

Key contact

Marine renewable technology, testing and monitoring, marine bioscience

SAMS UHI one of the UK's leading and oldest independent marine science research organisations, and one of the oldest oceanographic institutions in the world, committed to increasing our knowledge and stewardship of the marine environment through research, education, maintenance of research infrastructure, and knowledge transfer. SAMS currently employs 140 staff and is based at the Scottish Marine Institute near Oban on the west coast of Scotland, delivers taught and research degree and training courses, has outstanding scientific capabilities and infrastructure, and is also a Learned Society with 450 members.

Research activities - encompass the entire breadth of marine science, following five major research themes: Arctic research; marine processes and climate; marine renewable energy; prosperity from marine ecosystems; and industrial impacts on oceans. While much of our research is highly multidisciplinary in nature, we are organised in four departments: Physics, sea ice and technology; biogeochemisty and earth sciences; ecology; and microbial and molecular biology. Our core strategic research programme is Oceans 2025 in which we collaborate with six other UK marine science organisations.

SAMS UHI is a Collaborative Centre of the Natural Environment Research Council, and hosts the National Facility for Scientific Diving and the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa.

Energy specific activities.

• Bio fuels from marine micro and macroalgae; Exploring seaweed harvesting, fermentation and anaerobic digestion processes for the production of ethanol and methane.

• Interactions between marine renewable devices and the environment; Collision risk of marine vertebrates with tidal stream devices, reef effects of offshore structures, Benthic impacts of renewable devices, impacts of algal structures.

• Marine policy; Policy development around emerging renewable energy infrastructure and operation.

SAMS UHI capabilities
SAMS UHI research infrastructure includes two research vessels, new aquarium facilities, a deep-sea lander development centre, a dive unit, modern and well-equipped research and teaching laboratories, conference and meeting rooms, a diverse range of sampling and analytical equipment, an on-site hostel, workshops, and a well stocked research library.

SAMS UHI operates two wholly owned subsidiary companies: SAMS Research Services Ltd (SRSL) delivers our commercial activities, while the European Centre for Marine Biotechnology (ECMB) is a business incubator facility that supports the growth of marine biotechnology companies.

The SMI website has much more information than we can capture in this summary.

Current projects at SAMS:

Supergen (Marine Energy Consortium) — Part of phase2 Supergen to increase knowledge and understanding of device-sea interactions of energy converters from model scale in the laboratory to full size in the open sea.

BioMara — A project investigating sustainable fuels from Marine Biomass; the potential use of both macroalgae and microalgae as alternatives to terrestrial agri-fuel production.

MaREE (Marine Renewable Energy and the Environment) — A project undertaken by SAMS and ERI focussed on environmental issues surrounding the development of marine renewable energy and the socio-economic impacts of such technologies.

Hebridean Marine Energy Futures
Incorporating LCC, ERI and SAMS with a number of industry partners - most notably Aquamarine and Wavegen - a consortium of  various marine operators and wave technology developers assessing the wave resource to the west of Lewis.

Equimar — Equimar (Equitable testing and evaluation of marine energy extraction devices in terms of Performance, Cost and Environmental Impacts)

Marine Scotland Research — Commissioned research projects on the environmental impacts of marine energy technologies.

Biofuel from Algae — A 3yr Carbon Trust initiative to develop a sustainable, cost effective biofuel from alga.

MASTS — The Marine Alliance for Science & Technology for Scotland (MASTS) pools the research talent in marine science from across Scotland.

INIS Hydro project: surveying areas across the Irish sea with SAMS using their survey vessel R.V. Calanus to survey a large area of the Firth of Lorne. The other area being surveyed as part of this project are; the SW Islay Renewables area n Argyll, Scotland; Dundalk Bay (shallow and deep) in the Republic of Ireland; Carlingford Lough and Approaches – with its north coast in Northern Ireland and its south coast in the Republic; Dundrum Bay in Northern Irealnd; Parts of the coast off the Mourne mountains in Northern Ireland.

Key expertise

• Biodiversity conservation
• Biomass energy
• Climate change
• Community participation
• Crofting
• Forests
• Land management
• Mountains
• Policy analysis
• Wild land

Key contact

Biomass energy, land management, climate change research

The Centre for Mountain Studies (CMS) was established at Perth College UHI in August 2000, with the objective of creating a centre of excellence for work in mountain areas within the emerging University of the Highlands and Islands.

With a focus on mountain environments and the people who depend on them, both in Scotland and internationally, the CMS has four main goals:

• To undertake and communicate high-quality research;
• To convene meetings to disseminate and discuss knowledge and to develop research agendas;
• To contribute to informed policy-making processes;
• To lead in the development and delivery of academic courses and training.

Energy specific activities — Community-scale sustainable energy management, energy and land use, energy security as part of climate change adaptation, and energy generation opportunities as part of the sustainable development of upland estates.

Previous projects at the Centre for Mountain Studies:

Sustainable Estates for the 21st Century
This major research programme aims to understand how the different types of estate owners and managers in upland Scotland make decisions that ensure that their estates fulfil their diverse roles while being 'sustainable'.

Integrating sustainable development into upland estate management presents a great challenge as estate activities encompass property and land management, agriculture and sport, forestry, as well as access, recreation and other community aspects.

GEOSPECS - Geographic Specificities and Development Potentials in Europe
The EU-commissioned Applied Research Project GEOSPECS (Geographic Specificities and Development Potentials in Europe) aims to provide a coherent framework to characterize past trends, state and potential future developments of geographical specificities for territorial policy and regional development. Regions with “geographic specificities” that are subject of the study include: Border areas, Sparsely populated areas, Inner peripheries, Mountain areas, Highly populated areas, Islands, Coastal zones and Outermost regions.

Clim-ATIC - Climate change - Adapting to the impacts by communities in the Northern Periphery Regions
This project supported the rural peripheral communities to adpt to the impact of climate change. Clim-ATIC has delivered twelve adaptation demonstration projects under the themes of:  Sustainable transport, Sustainable Energy management, Tourism opportunities and Risk management & Response.

Cairngorms National Park - Knowledge Transfer Project
This network will serve anyone interested in issues related to sustainable development in the Cairngorms, will support the Park Authority in preparing their new National Park Plan, and will improve awareness and understanding of the use and value of research in the Park.

The project aims to identify recent and ongoing research in Cairngorms National Park: who has been doing it; finding out which practitioners, communities, landowners and other stakeholders may be interested in this research or possible future research; and engaging them in a knowledge exchange process to apply research findings in the planning activities of the Park Authority and the day-to-day activities of the stakeholders