Photo: Cameron Kane

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), the original energy transition organisation, has announced the winners of its 2024 ‘Art of Renewable Energy’ photography competition.

The 14 winning images, which feature in AREG’s 2024 calendar, show renewable energy integrated within the community and across the Scottish landscape, from hydrogen buses on Union Street to electric bikes outside St Machar Cathedral and solar panels nestled in Aberdeenshire’s rural areas to offshore and onshore wind turbines.

Euan Fraser, a keen amateur photographer and member of the Bon Accord Camera Club, whose images feature on the calendar front cover and the months of August and December said:
“I was delighted to have my images selected for inclusion in AREG’s 2024 calendar. In setting out to photograph my competition entries I decided to stay local to Aberdeen so that I could truly capture the green technologies that we walk past every day, including the sights of turbines rising above buildings through the North Sea haar and hydrogen buses travelling across the city.”

All twelve winners received £75, in addition to their image being featured in the calendar and displayed at Aberdeen Science Centre for the coming year.

The competition, sponsored by the BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership’s Broadshore and Bellrock floating offshore wind projects, invited photographers to submit pictures that showed renewable energy in action and were reflective of the changing energy mix within our communities and landscape.

David Robertson, portfolio director, Scotland at the BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership said:
“We were impressed by the number of quality entries from all age groups. The images capture the essence of the energy transition in action and show how things are changing in our communities, landscapes, and seascapes.
“The calendar images tell a story about our journey to a greener future, and it will be interesting to look back at these over time as the technology and structures evolve.

“Our partnership aims to contribute to a leading offshore wind industry in the UK and we hope the calendar images capture the imagination of future generations by demonstrating how offshore wind, and other renewable sources, are delivering home-grown clean energy.”

The competition winners were announced during a lunch event at Aberdeen Art Gallery where they were presented with a framed version of their original image.

The calendar launch took place a month after AREG announced its move to new premises within the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) and welcomed four new staff members to support an increasing demand for its membership services.

Shona Teale, AREG operations manager, said:
“We would like to congratulate our 12 winners and thank everyone who took the time to submit a photograph for our annual calendar competition and those who joined us to celebrate at the calendar launch event.

“I am looking forward to growing the support we provide for our 280 + members and helping them meet the challenges ahead, continuing to build momentum around renewable development and raising the profile of the energy transition in Scotland and beyond.”

AREG’s mission is to help its members take advantage of increasing opportunities in renewables and to champion the sector, helping build Scotland’s reputation for excellence in energy.