Scottish Renewables, a leading green energy trade body, has launched a report showing how Scottish rural businesses and communities from Eigg to Dumfries are using renewable energy to slash energy bills and carbon emissions.

The report is being launched at the Renewables Pavilion at the Royal Highland Show where 22 companies will be exhibiting technology from micro scale hydro power through to wood fuel heating and wind turbines.

The report 'Green Energy Glen' - demonstrates how many of these technologies can be used by rural business. Examples include a livestock farm that makes biogas from waste slurry through to an ice cream factory powered by wind. The report launch coincides with the second year of the Renewables Pavilion at the show which has doubled in size since its launch last year.

David Cameron, Chief Technical Officer at Scottish Renewables said: "There are great opportunities to use renewable technologies to support our rural communities. By taking advantage of renewables, farming can improve its energy independence while helping to cut carbon emissions.

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"Most resources useful for renewable technologies are widely available to farming whether that is in the form of crops and forestry for fuel, water courses for hydro, or space for heat pumps. Through the use of anaerobic digestion technologies farm waste can be turned in fuel for heating power and transport - each a key area of energy demand for farms."

Energy prices are being highlighted as a particular long term problem for rural businesses, many of which are high energy users. Although oil prices have dropped with the recent economic downturn, the International Energy Agency predicts that oil will rebound to more than $100 a barrel as soon as the world economy recovers. Energy trends over the last 10 years have shown increases beyond the rate of inflation.

Grants are available from the Scottish Rural Development Programme to assist rural businesses, land managers and communities in developing renewables that meet the government's rural priorities.

Claire Forbes, Marketing Manager at SgurrEnergy said: "SgurrEnergy is seeing an increasing number of land owners and businesses interested in installing green technology on their land, reducing their energy bills and subsequently reducing their carbon footprints.

"As an independent technical consultancy we are in the ideal position to advise on the various renewable energy options available from initial feasibility study through to full installation in wind energy, solar power or small hydro projects to bio-energy for heating requirements."

(GK/JM)