Locogen is leveraging the Scottish Enterprise Green Jobs Call, part of the Scottish Government’s Green Jobs Fund, to help create high-quality roles, working on the company’s innovative Green Energy Hubs project.
The Green Jobs Call awarded £500,000 of grant funding to the project, with Locogen contributing another £1.5 million.
Green Energy Hubs are designed to overcome some of the most common issues facing the expansion of renewables; namely, grid constraints and curtailment.
The proposed Green Energy Hubs overcome these hurdles by generating and using energy locally as much as possible, minimising impact on the grid.
Green Energy Hubs to Promote Local Generation and Consumption
Locogen’s first Green Energy Hub project is looking at the development of wind and solar farms, co-located with batteries to store excess energy when not required, and an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen.
The project will also investigate the best local uses for the electricity and hydrogen produced, looking at EV charging infrastructure to promote the local uptake of EVs, stationary power applications and hydrogen fuel for ferries and fleets.
If successful, Locogen are looking to roll out the Green Energy Hub concept to other areas where grid constraints and curtailment are preventing renewable energy development.
Commenting on the impact of the Green Jobs Call, Locogen Emerging Technologies Director, Dr Phillipa Hardy, said:
“The Green Jobs Call is key to our ambitious growth plans. It has allowed us to launch this ambitious project and create seven new jobs to help us explore innovative solutions to overcome barriers to renewable energy growth.
“These individuals help us build and share expertise in emerging technologies and position ourselves so that we are ready to support the green hydrogen transition in Scotland.
“Ultimately, the Green Jobs Call enables us to create solutions to achieve Scotland’s net zero ambitions, undertaking innovative projects that would not otherwise be financially viable.”
Rhona Allison, interim Managing Director of Business Growth at Scottish Enterprise, said:
“Developing local Green Energy Hubs has the potential to completely transform Scotland’s energy system. Crucially, the project is projected to increase the adoption of renewable generation and storage technologies in Scotland’s more remote rural communities, placing them at the forefront of the clean energy revolution.
“Locogen’s work in this area is emblematic of our Green Jobs Call, which sought to support Scotland’s transition to a greener and fairer economy and create good green jobs.”
Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work Richard Lochhead said:
“The Scottish Government is determined to build a fairer economy that delivers the skills, opportunities and jobs for the future that will help secure our transition to net zero and end our contribution to climate change, as set out in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
“To secure a truly just transition we must invest in our green industries now. It is encouraging to see businesses like Locogen benefiting from the £100 million Green Jobs Fund to undertake innovative projects and create jobs that support low carbon products and services.”