The report was funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation but carried out by Professor Philip Leather of London's South Bank University and Professor Moira Munro of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
The researchers at Heriot-Watt University acknowledge a huge amount of work remains to be done before the technology they are developing can be deployed commercially.
The Persian Gulf visit by the First Minister is also to bang the drum for Scottish business and education, with McGrigors law firm opening an office, Heriot-Watt University opening a campus, Weir Group expected to announce new developments and exports of renewable energy technology to be promoted.