New research has shown the entire UK hydro industry is based in Scotland

Trade body Scottish Renewables revealed 27 schemes totalling 58.5MW have planning permission north of the border, from Stirlingshire to Sutherland.

Overall, each project can potentially create enough energy to power 42,000 homes.

14 schemes (26.8MW) are currently under construction in Scotland, while green projects in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are yet to receive approval.

Scottish examples include a 1.5MW project at the Falls of Bruar in Perthshire and another on the West Highland Way near Loch Lomond.

Scottish Renewables said cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) last year have badly affected the industry.

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Hannah Smith, Policy Officer at the organisation, said Scotland's terrain and rainfall makes the country "ideal" for hydroelectricity development.

However, while the rest of the UK has invested in the technology, new figures show a huge cut to the FiT "caused a contraction in the number of schemes being developed".

"Hydropower provides green electricity with very low environmental impacts. Properly-maintained turbines can produce power for more than 80 years, and hydro enjoys huge public support, so it was particularly galling to see cuts of 37% imposed on the sector last year," Ms Smith said.

She added developers are now looking to innovation in an effort to make projects "financially viable".

Scottish Renewables' Hydro Conference and Exhibition in Perth will look at alternative sources of finance and how communities can be better-engaged in novel financing alternatives; the future of hydro across Scotland; improving construction techniques to reduce cost and pumped storage and hydro's role in the energy system.

The exhibition will be held at Perth Concert Hall on 18 May.

(LM/MH)