 a MaJOR financial company has dismissed claims that investors should be cautious about backing Scotland s renewable energy industry because of the upcoming referendum on independence.  Investment firm altium Securities has released a report rubbishing rival company Citigroup s research, published last week, which said that the referendum process would create  huge uncertainty  for those looking to fund green energy projects north of the Border.  an international firm with offices in eight countries and a history of billion pound deals, altium Security s views will carry a lot of weight within the business community.  Their findings were seized upon by the SNP Government, with Energy Minister Fergus Ewing saying the report makes it clear that investment will continue whatever Scotland s constitutional status,  including under independence.  In its own study, Citigroup warned that a Scotland which had broken from the UK would not be able to afford the ?4 billion subsidy it would require to fund enough renewable energy projects to meet targets on emissions, and that investors could risk seeing their assets  stranded .  But altium Security s own findings claim Scotland is the best-placed country in Europe to capitalise on environmentally-friendly energy from wind and tidal power, and that without the flow of energy from north of the Border, England would struggle to achieve its own climate change objectives. although it does not name Citigoup directly, saying only that it is in response to a recently-published rival s study, the report is clearly aimed in its direction.  It is scathing of the assertion that Scottish renewable energy would not be a safe investment, stressing that with its wealth of natural resources, Scotland can be the lowest-cost generator of wind energy in Europe as its higher-capacity wind farms can generate electricity more cheaply than the rest of the UK and most of Continental Europe.  analyst David Cunningham, the report s author, said:  The energy market is resolutely agnostic towards politics. Companies may take notice if they are operating in a country where there s a volatile situation, but otherwise it s immaterial if a country like Scotland is independent of the rest of the UK.  The SNP were clearly delighted last night to have received backing from such a highly-regarded firm.  Ewing said:  The report demolishes nonsensical claims made recently. The fact is there will be a continuing need for Scottish renewable electricity to be exported to help keep the lights on in the UK.  International corporations and domestic firms are investing for the future in Scotland s world leading renewables industry. For as long as the wind blows and the tides turn, that investment will continue.  according to green energy firm Scottish Renewables, international businesses have invested more than ?750 million in environmentally-friendly projects in Scotland, including building wind farms and the turbines they use, to developing tidal power and building low-carbon heaters for homes.  It is estimated that potential investment in renewable energy will be worth ?46bn to the economy in the coming years, with major investors lined up to pour money into an industry Scotland is uniquely placed to capitalise on.  One insider at a major power company said that the Citigroup report had led to a great deal of confusion, as global companies hav 