Employees at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), BayWa RE and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult were among the eight winners of Scottish Renewables 2020 Young Professionals Green Energy Awards.
The awards, which would normally take place in front of around 250 guests at a black-tie event in Glasgow, were this year taken online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They were announced during the first ever Young Professionals Green Energy Awards Week from 15 to 19 June.
EMEC’s James Ferguson scooped the academic award for his research exploring the future economic power of green hydrogen in Orkney, while Kevin Meier from BayWa RE took the analyst category and Craig Corbett of ORE Catapult the apprentice title.
Other winners include Elsa Ramirez from Leask Marine, who scooped the engineer award for her work in designing the world’s first submersible drilling rig of its kind and size – a £1.6m project to support the offshore renewables sector.
Declan Bryans was announced as the innovator award winner for his work in a project between the University of Strathclyde and Mersen UK, pushing battery electrode materials “beyond their current known limits” and increasing performance efficiency from 56% to above 90%.
Local Energy Scotland’s Gemma Murray won the project development award for work leading and informing 35 community groups and charities across Scotland to make the most of renewable energy.
Her work enabled the installation of 542kW of building integrated solar PV, enough to power more than 116 homes in Scotland for a year.
The culture change award went to Max McFarlane at TNEI and the professional service title was won by Heather Wylie from Arcus Consultancy Services.
The winners, who were selected from a shortlist of 27, now go on to compete for the Young and Inspiring Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards, which will be held later this year.
Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack said: “Once again, the standard of talent showcased by the Young Professionals Green Energy Awards is incredible.
“It is truly inspiring to see this level of skill and innovation in those who are just starting their careers in renewable energy.
“The drive and passion shown by our winners is hugely encouraging and it reassures me that the future of our industry is in good hands.
“Congratulations to all the winners, you should be extremely proud of your achievements.”