Decarbonising Heat Crucible 2
The second Decarbonising Heat Crucible invited experts from academia, supply chain companies, and the technology sector to support three local authorities in decarbonising social housing and other challenging sites.
The 3-day residential workshop in North Queensferry was modelled on the Alliance’s decarbonising heat theme. Led by Dr Jen Dickie and Prof Zoe Shipton, the theme recognises that Scotland has an abundance of technical options for heat decarbonisation, from renewably generated electricity to geothermal resources under the Central Belt and Highlands, in addition to a fast-approaching target of deriving 22% heat from renewables by 2030.
Throughout the three days, the Alliance was joined by Fife Council, Clackmannanshire Council, and CATCH-Loch Leven who shared their site-specific challenges and opportunities. The first day began with talks from the local authority representatives, each introducing the history and present-day scenarios of life within these areas. We also heard from Eve Harrison, Social Housing Decarbonisation Team Lead for the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund, which is designed to accelerate the delivery of energy efficient, clean heating systems to social housing projects across Scotland.

The first day was designed to prompt conversations and share collective knowledge, laying foundations for attendees to co-create funding proposals directly driven by these local authority needs. In the afternoon, the cohort visited sites in Dunfermline and Alloa, stepping away from the theoretical viewpoint of the heating challenges experienced and offering an opportunity to meet with plant managers and community centre volunteers, and better understand the realities of these potential high heat demand areas.



The second day delved into key discussions and next steps towards collaborative funding proposals. The morning sessions adopted a holistic approach, allowing attendees to transition between breakout groups and exchange ideas, challenges, and solutions. Each group, guided by a dedicated local authority representative and site-specific facilitator, worked towards building proposals for capital funding with input from a diverse field of expertise. As the day progressed, the groups began to solidify their focus, with facilitators and grant writers on-hand to support each local authority in making strides towards the proposals.
The third day concluded with grant writers from MODUS Research and Innovation who ran an informative, hands-on workshop which provided support and guidance as the groups started building their funding proposals.

The Alliance is incredibly grateful to the local authority representatives from Fife Council, Clackmannanshire Council, and CATCH-Loch Leven who brought the crucible to life and shared invaluable insights.
Thank you also to Zoe Shipton and Jennifer Dickie whose insights, leadership, and innovative facilitation were instrumental in making the event a success.
We look forward to seeing connections and projects grow into innovative solutions, supporting local authority needs and helping achieve an equitable and inclusive transition to a net-zero future in Scotland. More detailed write-ups from our event facilitators will be shared in due course.

