Islay wave bus logo
Local communities, businesses and individuals working together to establish Islay as a model community for renewable and environmentally positive energy projects.
How will this be achieved?
Islay has already made substantial advances in this direction. In 1994 ETSU, the UK Government's executive agency for energy technologies, carried out a comprehensive study into energy use and resources on Islay. The research was instigated initially by the distilleries, and many of the subsequent recommendations were implemented by communities, government agencies and Scottish Hydro-Electric. The home insulation initiative, for example, installed insulation in over one third of Islay's homes. Scottish Hydro-Electric are also investigating energy storage projects, such as batteries, flywheels and pumped storage.
Islay is already a world leader in wave power. A small-scale experimental wave power plant was operating on the west Atlantic coast for eight years before The Limpet - the world's first commercially operating wave power station - began feeding electricity into the national grid in November 2000. A contract has been secured for an offshore floating wave power plants which could be installed off Islay within the next two years.
Plans have also recently been proposed for a new wind power project, which would be the first windfarm on Islay.
The new Gaelic college on the island is to have solar panels installed to generate up to 20kW of electricity - making it the largest solar power generation project in Scotland. 1,700 sun slates will be used to provide power and heat for the building.
Finally, the Islay Energy Centre, due to open in 2003 in a converted school in Portnahaven, will be the focal point for all energy developments, acting as a catalyst between renewable energy developers, operators, researchers and the local community. It is hoped that solar panels on the roof will be used to generate hydrogen for future fuel cell vehicle projects.
The desired outcome?
Islay to become a centre of excellence for environmentally positive energy projects that have been fully endorsed by the local community - and to achieve a reputation in this field on a national and international scale. In the long term, Islay aims to continue to embrace environmentally positive energy forms and to be established as a model island for renewable energies, with a view to becoming self reliant or self sustaining with minimal imports of fossil fuels.
