Floating wind and green hydrogen fostering future Scottish-French collaboration
Following a study, undertaken for the Scottish Government, a report concludes to opportunities for Scottish and French organisations to work together to deliver collaborative innovation in floating wind and hydrogen.
The project team developed four recommendations for the Scottish Government. In order to develop further opportunities for joint working between the French and Scottish supply chains, the Scottish Government is encouraged to:
-Target engagement at regional levels in France. In recognition of shared ambition and also comparative governance structures, resource availabilities and geographies, collaborative working with counterparts in the French regions is recommended. Representatives from Brittany and Occitanie provided particularly robust feedback to the project team, and the focus for innovation activities in these two regions make them prime candidates for engagement with the Scottish supply chain. Stakeholders who participated in project engagement activities requested structured support from the relevant governments and enterprise agencies in funding and facilitating inter-regional initiatives.
-Encourage research collaboration through network building. Networking can be essential in kickstarting collaborative working and in helping supply chain organisations to know who to approach when opportunities arise. Specific proposed next steps for fostering these relationships are detailed in subsequent sections, however stakeholder asks worth highlighting include a desire for facilitated matchmaking activities to pair Scottish and French counterparts, and access to market intelligence materials focused on highlighting areas of strength in each respective supply chain.
-Develop a research, test and demonstration platform specifically targeting projects showcasing the integration of floating wind and hydrogen systems. A range of research questions of shared interest have been identified and summarised in this report, and there is clear appetite from both Scottish and French organisations to work together to progress these.
-Instil a focus on ‘Just Transition’ and skills development in these initiatives. Delivering opportunities for organisations currently embedded in traditional energy supply chains to re-focus their efforts on servicing emerging renewable energy markets is a key priority in both Scotland and France. Stakeholders feeding back to the project team suggested that all initiatives arising following this study should prioritise addressing this opportunity
Do you want to learn more about hydrogen in France and around the world? Then our latest articles on the country should interest you. You can access all of our France-related articles here.
Are you a LinkedIn user who would like to follow the latest hydrogen news on a more regular basis? Then our LinkedIn weekly newsletter may be what you’re looking for. You can subscribe to it here.
