Edinburgh, Scotland-based Celtic Renewables wins £40,000 award for process that generates biofuels from Scottish malt whisky byproducts

Tracy McDonald

EDINBURGH, Scotland , February 8, 2012 (press release) – An Edinburgh business with an innovative idea to tackle climate change last night won a £40,000 Shell Springboard award.

Celtic Renewables Ltd, a spin out company from apier University, received a £40,000 Shell Springboard award for its process which generates next generation biofuels from by-products from the Scottish malt whisky industry resulting in reduced oil consumption and CO2 emissions.

Shell Springboard is a Shell-funded UK Social Investment programme, which provides a financial boost to small and medium enterprises with innovative, low-carbon business ideas. This builds on Shell’s overall commitment to help the UK meet its future energy needs responsibly.

Mark Simmers, CEO at Celtic Renewables said: “This is a fantastic endorsement of our business and will allow us to analyse, in real detail, the best opportunities to deploy our technology in Scotland. A major benefit to our technology is that it is able to respond directly to rural communities’ needs by delivering real economic impact through providing sustainable biofuels and long term employment.”

The Scottish Government’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson said: “The Shell Springboard awards greatly encourage SME’s to be creative and seize the market opportunities presented by a low-carbon economy. I’m very impressed by the innovation shown through the low-carbon products and services entered for these awards; a wonderful showcase of technology and talent which I’m sure the judges had a difficult job choosing between.

“Scotland, of course, has a well-known heritage of innovation in new technologies and this tradition will be vital to making the transition to the low-carbon Scotland of the future.”

Angus Gillespie and Stewart Stevenson MSP congratulate the Celtic Renewables Team

Angus Gillespie, Shell Vice President for CO2 Strategy: “Through Springboard, Shell aims to encourage others to innovate as well, helping to support the transition to a lower carbon economy and seizing this new market opportunity. It’s our belief that the innovative services and technologies that small businesses provide can make an important contribution to reducing the UK’s carbon emissions. I congratulate Celtic Renewables on their success, and wish all of our finalists the very best for the future.”

Cumbernauld based Gas Sensing Solutions Ltd (GSS) also received a £40,000 financial boost for its high performance CO2 sensors that can see users in the building control market reduce energy costs by up to 20%.

Supply Design Ltd, based in Dunfermline, was awarded £30,000 for its high efficiency power conversion technology aimed at diverse markets including renewable energy, data centres and electric vehicles.

Since its launch in 2005, Shell Springboard has judged over 1,000 entries and awarded approximately £2 million to 52 businesses across the UK. Overall, £330,000 will be awarded in 2012. This will result in a total of £2.25 million awarded over seven years to UK-based SMEs

This year, the programme received 130 entries, and 24 businesses have been shortlisted to present at three regional events across the UK.

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