Celebrating 20 years of Scottish Renewables

Rob Forrest addresses current Scottish Renewables members at 20 year anniversary gathering

Those who have been involved with renewables from the early 1990’s will be well aware of the important role Rob Forrest, CEO of GreenPower, played in getting the renewables trade body up and running and in engaging cross party political support for our industry.

As Scottish Renewables’ first Chief Executive and one of their current Directors he was invited to address a gathering of current members and said:

“What we really needed back then was public support.  Most people didn’t know what renewables involved, and most didn’t even know what the word meant.

“People would look at you strangely when you mentioned renewable energy and ask how you could make that into a business.  Climate change was a concept that was being talked about but there was not a sense that it was a real and challenging issue for all of us.

“People would say renewable energy is ‘a bit weird’, and ask ‘do you wear sandals and a floppy hat? Now there are three people in my street who work in renewables. It’s incredible.”

Putting the giant leaps in public perception – and installed capacity – aside, it’s the similarities between 1996 and 2016 which stand out to Rob.

He continued:

“The rationale for setting up Scottish Renewables 20 years ago was to gain cross party support and to get a route to market. Scottish Renewables is just as relevant today as it was 20 years ago, because those same issues still exist.

“In 1996 the industry was fragmented. There were lots of different trade bodies, and each sector was arguing for its own outcomes and support.

“There was also much regulatory uncertainty, through devolution and the impeding creation of the Scottish Parliament.

“Of course today these all make strong parallels with Brexit and the possibility of another independence referendum.

“We needed to build political support with parties who supported different technologies – coal or nuclear, for example. Substitute shale gas for coal and we have more or less the same issues to deal with today.”

More details are available on the Scottish Renewables blog.