SSE, MHI Sponsor Green Energy Debate

Inverness pupils talked their way to the top prize at the Big Green Challenge debating competition.

Charleston Academy triumphed for the second year running, competing against 19 schools from across the Highlands and islands at the Scottish Parliament.

The Big Green Challenge is run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and sponsored by SSE and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It encourages S1-S3 pupils to debate and discuss renewable energy issues.

Students research and learn about the industry, looking at the various ways power can be generated and the role of government in the sector.

Greg Clarke, SSE’s Public Affairs Manager for Scotland, judged the competition. He paid tribute to the teams who took part.

He said: “Every one of the finalists should be extremely proud of their performance and the breadth of knowledge and remarkable debating skills they demonstrated.

“This competition is an excellent way of helping school pupils learn more about the energy industry and the diverse issues and policies which surround it.

“I’d like to congratulate all of the young people who took part and I expect to see them back debating in the Scottish Parliament in years to come as our politicians of the future.”

The school won the chance to visit an SSE Renewables site to see energy generation in action.

Kay Storey, Charleston Academy teacher, said: “Our team had a great time and learnt so much. I don’t just say this because we won – our comments would still be the same if we hadn’t been so lucky because the experiences of research, planning and competing are such valuable lessons for the children.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to boost their public speaking skills and confidence too. All the teams involved worked really hard to produce an extremely high standard of debate.”