Green jobs contributing £10.2bn to Scotland's economy, says CBI

The CBI report says Scotland has more than 3,000 businesses working in the net-zero economy, most of which are small to medium sized.

While those companies are spread across the country, the areas where green industries contribute the highest proportion of economic value are Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen and East Lothian.

One of those companies is Gensource in Musselburgh which installs renewable technologies including solar panels and electric vehicle chargers.

It has grown rapidly since it was launched four years ago by two people in a back bedroom and now has 20 workers, including two apprentices.

Orders spiked after both of the two most recent energy crises, triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and more recently the US-Israel war on Iran.

Gensource director Josh King believes the net-zero targets are good for growth, jobs and the economy, particularly at a time when energy prices are being severely affected by geopolitics.

“We’ve got price instability and, ultimately, that drives demand because people want cheaper prices but, also, they want no surprises in their bills,” he said. “Renewables can help deliver that.”