The University of Strathclyde is supporting the Shetland Islands in becoming a renewable energy hub.

It has joined Project ORION (Opportunity Renewables Integration Offshore Networks), which will see the implementation of onshore and offshore wind energy, as well as green hydrogen to power the Shetlands’ homes and businesses.

It aims to make major oil and gas fields on the islands net zero by 2030.

ORION is also set to power the Islands’ port facilities by renewable energy, as well as exporting green hydrogen from the region to the rest of the UK and Europe.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, commented: “Project ORION will completely transform how energy is produced, transported and consumed on Shetland and utilise the skills and experience of the highly skilled workforce to sustain thousands of oil and gas sector jobs and create hundreds of new onshore jobs.

“Importantly, Project ORION will take a systems engineering approach to the technological interdependencies vital to achieving net zero.”