Trade body Scottish Renewables has revealed that 64% of Scotland’s clean power supply chain is investing in the renewable energy market to drive the nation’s green future.
The sixth edition of Scottish Renewables’ Supply Chain Impact Statement surveyed the organisation’s more than 370 members to find out their opinion on the current renewable energy landscape in Scotland. While 64% of those surveyed stated they were making investments into the skills and facilities needed to boost Scotland’s clean energy pipeline over the next five years, 60% do not believe that the UK and Scottish governments are supporting the right market conditions to enable Scottish businesses to be competitive in the clean energy market.
Furthermore, the majority of businesses surveyed have significant concerns about the uncertainties present in the renewable energy pipeline. A total of 64% of those surveyed stated that uncertainty in the renewable energy pipeline posed “a significant barrier” to their business scaling up their operations in the renewable energy industry, with the remaining 36% stating that pipeline uncertainty “somewhat” slowed down their progress in growing in the renewable energy industry.
When asked what the most pressing challenge is for Scotland’s renewable energy supply chain in 2025, opinions were split between survey respondents. A total of 36% of respondents stated that navigating policy changes and regulatory uncertainties is the biggest challenge for Scotland’s renewable energy future, while 28% felt that securing enough skilled talent and addressing the green skills gap is the largest issue currently in the sector. A further 24% see overcoming supply chain bottlenecks and material shortages as the biggest challenge for the sector, while just 12% say that attracting sufficient investment to meet project demands is their biggest concern.
Emma Harrick, director of energy transition and supply chain at Scottish Renewables, said that it is “promising to see” that almost two-thirds of businesses are investing in strengthening their clean energy capabilities, calling the renewable energy industry “the engine of Scotland’s future economy” and “the country’s biggest economic opportunity”. However, she warned that the lack of support for strong market conditions from the UK and Scottish governments could harm the future growth of the sector, noting that this must be addressed in order to unlock the industry’s full potential.
Furthermore, she encouraged the industry and policymakers to remain ambitious about Scotland’s green energy future, adding: “If we’re serious about delivering on our clean power potential and building a world-leading green economy, we need to think bigger than we ever have before”.
