Scotland's energy transition opportunity

Scotland's aiming to develop 5GW of hydrogen capacity by 2030. The hydrogen economy give us the opportunity to develop Scotland’s capacity to produce, distribute, store, use and export hydrogen.

The global transition to hydrogen fuel makes this a lucrative and innovative sector — we're showing Scottish companies the way.

Hydrogen projects

Scotland’s hydrogen project pipeline is growing, supported by existing energy generation and infrastructure assets.

See our map of Scotland's hydrogen assets opens in a new window  to visualise where hydrogen production, distribution and usage could take place.

Sector and market opportunities

There are significant opportunities for any company that can contribute to making the large-scale production of green H2 more affordable.

Learn about international hydrogen opportunities 

Recent reports

Find these recent hydrogen reports on Evaluations Online:

• Industry hydrogen potential in Scotland opens in a new window  — discover how heavy industry could use hydrogen to decarbonise its energy-intensive processes, and which sectors are best suited to take advantage. This study explains the most likely industrial offtakers, their location in Scotland, and the level of demand.
• Hydrogen demand study - Scottish transport opens in a new window — the transport industry is one of the earliest adopters of hydrogen in Scotland, but how likely is each of its sectors to adopt hydrogen as a low carbon fuel? This report estimates and maps the potential demand for hydrogen in Scotland up until 2045. 
• Hydrogen for Scottish distilleries opens in a new window — Scotch whisky distilleries have ambitions to become more sustainable – and hydrogen is one way they can do this. This study helps to demystify the types of hydrogen projects distilleries may consider, their requirements and costs. 
• Scottish hydrogen production - sites and opportunities opens in a new window — there's potential to produce green hydrogen all across Scotland. This study highlights a range of sites where land, power, and water requirements make the production of green hydrogen a possibility. 

Offshore wind puts us in a strong position to be a world leader in green energy thanks to Scotland’s long-standing links to the oil and gas industry. 

Existing expertise can be applied to offshore wind in fields such as surveying, installation, operations, maintenance, and health and safety. 

Market opportunities in offshore wind

Our market plans explain the background, scale and scope of the opportunity in offshore wind, the types of companies that are eligible, and – if you meet the criteria – what you need to do next. 

Check out international opportunities in:

• China
• Japan
• The Netherlands
• Poland
• USA

Floating wind projects in Scotland

Scotland has two of the biggest floating wind farms in the world — Hywind Scotland and the Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm. There's a third in construction, the Pentland Offshore Wind Farm, which when completed, will overtake the others as the world's largest. 

The opportunity for investment and growth in this sector is huge. In the UK alone, floating offshore wind is forecast to provide 17000 jobs and £33 billion GVA to the economy by 2050.

Run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Offshore Wind Scotland provides information on the sector. Discover developments and opportunities, instructions on how to become part of our Forth and Tay offshore supply chain clusters, and who to contact to find out more.

Read more on offshorewindscotland.org opens in a new window  

Getting into clean heat offers big opportunities for your business, given Scotland’s 2045 net zero targets, 

Heat accounts for 51% of Scotland’s energy demand and, moving forward, all homes and buildings must have significantly reduced energy use with the majority using a zero-emissions heating system. This can provide the perfect opportunity for your company to grow through retraining your staff and redeveloping your services.

Funding and grants 

Green Heat Innovation Support Programme (GHISP)

The £17.6 million GHISP supports innovation and capital investment that will accelerate the roll out and adoption of clean heating solutions and associated products.

Learn more about GHISP  

HeatSource industry hub

HeatSource is a collaborative knowledge hub funded by our organisation, HIE, and South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE). It's aim is to explore opportunities in low carbon heat and bring together knowledge, partners and resources to help prepare the sector for net zero.

As well as providing industry updates, it allows you to register for events and list your business for free on the industry directory to help collaborators find you.

Find out more on heatsource.org opens in a new window  

Clean heat business guide 

Read our report on Clean heat: low carbon heat opportunities 

Case study

Learn how Glasgow-based confectioner Aldomak is cutting energy costs.

Read the full story on Aldomak 

The national programme for transport decarbonisation looks to position Scotland as a global centre of carbon reduction expertise and technology development in energy transport.

It also aligns with Scotland’s ambitious carbon reduction targets of 75% by 2030 and its legally binding goal of reaching net zero by 2045.Our goal is to harness Scotland's strengths to make the country a long-standing authority in the development of international supply chains for aviation, maritime, heavy-duty vehicles, batteries, and hydrogen.

Discover Transport Scotland’s Mission Zero for Transport opens in a new window  

Decarbonisation of transport reports

Scottish maritime transport

Discover how Scotland’s industries and research organisations are placed to contribute to the decarbonisation of maritime transport in the global market.

This recent report from Scottish Enterprise and Optimat identifies capabilities, assesses R&D and manufacturing potential, and provides recommendations on how we can maximise opportunities for Scotland in maritime decarbonisation.

Read the Decarbonisation of Scottish Maritime Transport report on Evaluations Onlineopens in a new window  

Sustainable aviation fuel mapping

Read about the Scotland’s potential to support the use and development of synthetic/sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) — widely regarded as the first step towards decarbonising the country’s aviation sector.

This report defines the global and Scottish market opportunities for SAF, assesses the country’s strengths and appetite to engage in zero-emission aviation. It also provides recommendations on how Scottish Enterprise, and others in the public sector, can maximise the transition to net zero emissions aviation.

Read the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mapping report on Evaluations Online opens in a new window