Islay Energy Trust

The Islay Triathlon 2013 will take place on Saturday June 22nd.  The Mactaggart Leisure Centre can help with your training plan every Monday from 20th May.

Triathlon 2013 Advert

Everyone is invited to a public meeting in Bowmore Village Hall at 7.30 p.m. Tuesday 14th May to discuss the proposal to establish the Islay Energy Community Benefit Society (IECBS).

The purpose of the IECBS is to raise funds to finance the installation of the community wind turbine at Castlehill.  A community benefit society is set up and run by its members in order to conduct business for the benefit the community. The members are people and/or organisations who buy shares in the society, and receive interest on their investments.

The profits made by the society are used to provide benefit to the whole community.  Each member has one vote irrespective of the amount invested, and the Board of Directors is elected by the members.

The intention is that IECBS will generate revenues from feed in tariffs and the sale of electricity from the community wind turbine at Castlehill.  It is estimated this could yield £60-80,000 p.a. for the community for twenty years. To purchase and install the wind turbine£650,000 needs to be raised.  The plan is that a share offer will be launched in July 2013 once IECBS has been formally registered,and people and organisations will be invited to purchase shares. It is likely that the minimum investment will be £100, maximum £20,000.

The meeting on Tuesday 14th of May will be an opportunity for the community to get involved ,receive more information and discus show IECBS would work in greater detail.  To provide expert advice on how community benefit societies are established and governed, Dave Hollings, Cooperative Mutual Solutions, wil lbe attending.  No investments are required at this stage!

Further information can be obtained from Lindy MacLellan at the Islay Energy Trust.

IET wants to hear your views

A chance for you to let Islay Energy Trust hear your views on what our communities need is available now.  You can help decide what projects should be funded and how, from the expected income generated by the proposed wind turbine.  Just go to the following link and complete the survey online : https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IslayEnergyTrust

Public consultation meetings during April have been planned as follows and are being run by independent consultants, SKS Scotland – please drop in and give us your views:

Portnahaven Hall, Thurs 18th, 10am – 1pm

Bruichladdich Hall, Thurs 18th, 3 – 6pm

Ballygrant Hall, Friday 19th, 10 – 1 pm

Bowmore Hall, Saturday 20th, 10am – 12.30pm

Columba Hall, Saturday 20th, 1.30-4pm

If you’d like more information or would be interested in joining a focus group to be involved in more detailed discussion, please feel free to get in touch:

Lindy at the IET office in Bowmore – lindy. maclellan@islayenergytrust.org.uk , Tel. 01496 301413

Jim Bennett of SKS Scotland – jimbennett@ sksscotland.co.uk Tel 07932 736006

Shona Sinclair of SKS Scotland – shonasin­clair@sksscotland.co.uk Tel 07711 552094

The Sound of Islay Tidal Energy Project has been awarded up to €20.6m funding from the EU’s NER300 scheme.

NER300 funding is based on the income of the European Emissions Trading Scheme in which the sale of the 300 million allowances (which each provide the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide) forms the New Entrants Reserve.

The fund will be used to support innovative renewable energy technology and carbon capture and storage projects.

This is excellent news for the project and shows further support for the marine renewables industry at a crucial time in its development.

Details of the award decision can be found on the European Commission Climate Action website.

Argyll Businesses at the Sound of Islay Supply Chain Event

Project managers from ScottishPower Renewables met with more than 90 potential suppliers on Friday 26^th October to discuss opportunities for involvement in the Sound of Islay Tidal Energy project.   ScottishPower Renewables received consent to install up to 10 tidal turbines in the Sound of Islay in 2011 and is now looking in detail at the supply chain for the project.

The event took place at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) near Oban and was organised in partnership with the Islay Energy Trust, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Energy North.  The aim was to encourage local businesses and suppliers to learn more about the project and to make their services known to ScottishPower Renewables and ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest, the project’s technology provider.

The majority of businesses came from Argyll with several Islay businesses attending.  To date, the project has used a wide variety of local services including ornithology, marine services, transport, accommodation and project management.   As the project enters the installation phase there are likely to be further supply chain opportunities in survey work, marine support services, environmental monitoring as well as onshore haulage and construction.

Alan Mortimer, Head of Innovation at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Tidal power has tremendous potential to supply a significant proportion of Scotland’s electricity needs in the coming decades. We have some of the best marine power resources of any country in the world. Our proposed tidal power project in the Sound of Islay is the only scheme in Scotland to have received planning permission, so we are breaking new ground when it comes to delivering a project of this nature.

“For the industry to deliver tidal power projects there needs to be a strong supply chain that includes local companies who can provide a range of products and services to support these developments. We have been working very closely with HIE, Energy North and Argyll and Bute Council to engage local firms who could have something to offer to the marine renewable energy industry.

Andy Macdonald, from the Islay Energy Trust, said “It was great to see the wide range of relevant skills and experience that exists in the region.  The Sound of Islay project is getting closer and with the potential for other projects to be developed in the region, this is an excellent time to get involved.  I would encourage local businesses to get in touch with me if they would like to find out more about the opportunities.”

ScottishPower Renewables aim to start work on the Islay project in 2013, with machines being installed as early as feasible from 2014. A prototype 1MW (megawatt) tidal power machine was successfully installed for testing off the coast of Orkney late last year. The industry-leading technology has been developed by ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest, who successfully operated a smaller prototype machine in Norwegian waters for more than 6 years and is currently testing their latest model of machine, the HS1000, at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

Blair Marnie, project manager for the West Islay Tidal project being developed by DP Marine Energy and DEME Blue Energy, visited Islay this week to provide a project update to the Islay Community Council.  The project has a Crown Estate agreement for lease for a 30MW tidal array consisting of up to 30 tidal turbines in an area to the west of Portnahaven.

Studies of the seabed and tidal flow have confirmed that the area is an excellent energy resource.  Detailed environmental survey work has been carried out over the last two years and has not highlighted any significant issues.  The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is nearing completion and the aim is to submit an application for consent to the Scottish Government by the end of the year.

Blair’s visit is being followed up with Public Information Days in Bowmore, Portnahaven and Port Ellen on the 25^th and 26^th of September.  Organisation of these information days is being facilitated by Islay Energy Trust, to ensure that the local consultation is as wide-ranging and as locally relevant as possible. The West Islay Tidal project team will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

The details are as follows:

• Bowmore Hall, Tuesday 25th Sept, 2pm to 8pm
• Portnahaven, Rhinns Hall, Wednesday 26th Sept, 10am to 1pm
• Port Ellen, Columba Hall, Wednesday 26th Sept, 4pm to 8pm

Andy Crabb, Filmmaker

Filmmaker Andy Crabb from the Songs of the Scottish Sea project spent two days on Islay working with eight S2 students from Islay High School.  The students learned how to use the film gear before putting it into practice shooting scenes for a documentary on The Power of the Sea.

Islay is set to become a world focal point for marine renewables, with the Sound of Islay Tidal Array likely to be the first fully functioning array of tidal turbines in the world.  The array will consist of 10 tidal turbines producing more electricity than is consumed each year by Islay and Jura.

Islay already has a history of marine renewable development and is the home of the prototype LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer).  The world’s first commercial wave energy device is to be found on the rocky coastline of the Rhinns of Islay near Portnahaven at the southern tip of the island.

The students filmed the huge hulk of concrete that houses the device, set amongst the battered rocks of the Rhinns,  and then went to talk to Mrs. Mary Merrall who lives in the croft next to the the device.  She invited everyone in for tea and cake, and recounted tales of the building of the LIMPET – Tales of earth shaking dynamite blasting and the unearthly noise of the first prototype built in 1991 that could be heard a mile away in the village.

The young film crew also visited Port Askaig  to talk to the Islay life boat crew about the power of the tide in the Sound, and then jumped aboard the ferry to Jura to experience a boat fighting its way across the very same tide that will soon be powering the turbines that will be on the seabed in the Sound.

Islay, an island of stunning beauty, deep history and world famous whisky is now at the very heart of the development of our future energy supplies.

Junior Triathlon Competitors 2012

Last weekend saw the start of a great summer of sport with the Islay Triathlon going from strength to strength in its 20th anniversary year. Saturday’s senior event was well attended with the men’s and women’s individual prizes going to Stephen Whiston and Hazel Manson from the Mid-Argyll Triathlon Club.

Start of the Swimming Event

It was good to see some excellent performances from the younger entrants with Iain Harrison taking the best local individual prize and Katie Wood taking the fastest female runner award. The fastest female swimmer award was also kept on Islay with an exceptional swim from Lynzie McCuaig.

The me’sn team event was a local derby with the Bowmore Boys Connor Boyd, Grahame Bauld and David Rountree snatching victory from the Port Ellen Boys. The fastest women’s team was won with a strong performance by Ros Way, Hazel Whiston, Lorna MacGregor from Mid–Argyll and the fastest mixed team was won by John Hardie, Dave Payne and Rona Young. The junior team “Wavelength” with Romy Mitchell, Islay Mowat and Katie Wood won the junior team event with special congratulations to Romy for following this up by winning the individual prize at the junior event on
Sunday.

Active Schools ran the 5th Islay Schools Triathlon in partnership with Mactaggart Leisure Centre and with ScottishPower Renewables once again helping to sponsor the event. Children from P5 to S2 competed in the event either as mixed teams, girls teams or boys teams.

Men’s Individual Winner – Stephen Whiston

Well done to all competitors and thanks for making our 20th Anniversary a great day. Thanks also to all the volunteers who made the event possible, and to ScottishPower Renewables and Islay Energy Trust for their continued support. For more detailed results go to Islay Triathlon website.

Marine Energy Action Plan

The Marine Energy Group (Scotland’s Government and Industry forum for Marine Renewables) has published the latest version of the Marine Energy Action Plan.

The plan outlines progress made since the launch of the 2009 Marine Energy Road Map and makes recommendations to help improve access to finance, grid development, infrastructure and supply chain, the planning regime and engagement with Europe, to ensure Scotland and other nations seize the huge potential for clean energy from the world’s seas and oceans.

Progress in the marine energy sector since 2009, highlighted in today’s Action Plan, include:

• Exclusivity agreements to develop 1.6 GW of marine energy capacity off the north Scottish coast in the world’s first commercial wave and tidal leasing round
• Additional leasing opportunities (23 of 28 UK leased areas in Scotland) through demonstration sites and rounds to support competitors in £10 million Saltire Prize
• 11 pioneering wave and tidal devices deployed/in process of deployment at European Marine Energy Centre EMEC – the world’s first fully-accredited, grid-connected wave and tidal test facility – with a further three to deploy by 2014
• Significant industrial investments in developer technologies from major global power engineering conglomerates ABB, Alstom, Rolls Royce and Siemens.
• Consent for world’s largest consented tidal stream project, ScottishPower Renewables-Andritz Hydro Hammerfest 10-megawatt tidal stream project near Islay
• Opening of world’s first fully commercial wave power plant, Mutriku breakwater power plant in Spain, using Voith Hydro Wavegen’s Scottish technology, developed and demonstrated in grid-connected operation at LIMPET on Islay.

The full press release about the Marine Energy Action Plan is on the Scottish Government website.

The Sound of Islay Tidal Energy project will use the HS1000 tidal turbine designed by ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest.

A single 1MW HS1000 was deployed and grid-connected in December 2011 at EMEC in Orkney.  It has reached full export capacity during testing and is exporting power to the grid.  ANDRITZ HYDRO have produced a short video explaining more about the device and how it operates.

The HS1000 Tidal Turbine video can be watched on YouTube.

The ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest HS1000 tidal turbine that was installed and connected to the grid last December has spent the last few months undergoing tests at the EMEC test site in Orkney.

The initial testing period has been very positive with the device achieving full export power.

ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest will be at Stand G110 and the Islay Energy Trust will be at the Argyll/HIE Stand L50 of All-Energy Conference (23rd to 24th May 2012)

The Energy, Economy and Tourism committee of the Scottish Parliament asked for evidence for its Inquiry into the Scottish Government’s Renewables Targets.  Stressing the importance of the role of communities, The Islay Energy Trust has submitted a response asking for a further question to be considered by the committee:

“To what extent can communities contribute to and benefit from realising carbon savings/renewable energy targets?”
There are three reasons for posing this question, supported by IET’s experience on Islay.

1. Talk of energy supply targets is meaningless without addressing the issue of potential reductions in energy consumption, which could make supply targets more achievable, or not as the case may be. Community action can play a significant role in helping reduce consumption.
2. Community initiatives in developing renewable energy projects should not be ignored in the supply equation. Community Energy Scotland has already drawn the Committee’s attention to the contribution nationally that community-owned projects can make, and IET’s development of renewables projects is receiving widespread local support.
3. Community support for larger scale renewable energy projects can facilitate the consenting process and add value to all stakeholders. However, such support can be difficult to harness without early and genuine local consultation, and comprehensive social impact assessments.

The full submission can be read here: 26 February 2012 – IET submission to Scottish Parliament Inquiry into Energy Targets

Hammerfest Strom's HS1000 at EMEC

Hammerfest Strøm has completed another key milestone after the successful installation of the 1MW HS1000 tidal turbine in one of the toughest waters in Europe at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. The installation was carried out during very challenging weather conditions. The device has been successfully synchronised to the grid and supplied power to the grid on the first attempt and during the first start-up.

Project Manager, Martin Sloan says:
“When we started out in this process the widely held view was that we had an operational window  of approx. 6 months. With deployment of the HS1000 in some of the UK’s most hostile waters at what must be considered one of the worst operational deployment periods we have demonstrated that with the correct methodologies, skilled personnel and proper risk management the window is year round. The significance of this should go a long way to driving down the whole cost structure of tidal deployment by companies such as Hammerfest Strøm who can demonstrate they have the capability and technologies to work throughout the year.

The final phase of commissioning the onshore equipment is now well underway and it is anticipated that we will commence operational / load testing onto the grid later this month which then kicks off the data collection and engineering validation process, this process will continue over many months albeit tthe system is now configured to be operated remotely.”

For more details are available from the Hammerfest Strøm website.

The Islay Energy Trust (IET) needs to raise around £900,000 to fund a combination of renewable energy projects including wind, hydro, solar etc.  Financial benefits to the community from these projects could total £100,000 each year in the first ten years and £200,000 each year after that.  It is likely that IET will be able to raise approximately £600,000 from banks and it hopes to raise £300,000 from local investors.

Islay Community Energy Co-operative

IET has been discussing the establishment of a co-operative in which local people can invest. Each investor will become a member of the co-operative with a single vote, irrespective of sum invested. The co-operative would be governed by a board elected by the members.  The co-operative would invest its funds in IET’s projects and would receive revenues from them.

Investment and Return

Individual investments could range from £100 to £20,000. Withdrawal of capital would be possible. Similar co-operatives have been paying out returns to investors of 5 – 8% p.a.

IET is conducting a survey to find out if there is interest in investing in an IET Energy Co-operative.  We are very interested in your views and would appreciate if you could take part in the very short (three question) survey:

   (by 31st January 2012)

This is not an offer to invest

Installation of the Hammerfest Strøm HS1000 Tidal Turbine

The plans for the 10MW Tidal Energy Project in the Sound of Islay took a significant step forward with the successful deployment of the Hammerfest Strøm HS1000 tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

The HS1000 tidal turbine has been developed by Hammerfest Strøm, a company partly-owned by Iberdrola (ScottishPower Renewables’s parent company), Andritz Hydro and Statoil New Energy.  Seen as one of the world’s most advanced tidal turbine designs, a prototype device has been generating electricity in Norway for over 6 years.

Following its successful installation, the HS1000 device will now enter a test period to confirm its performance and reliability, in preparation for larger scale production and deployment.  It is expected that the machine will be fully operational in early 2012. The tests will also help to finalise the timetable for the Islay project, with machines being installed as early as feasible during the period 2013 to 2015.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “We are delighted that the HS1000 turbine has been successfully installed in Orkney, and Hammerfest engineers deserve huge credit for carrying out this difficult operation in very testing weather conditions. We look forward to monitoring its progress when fully operational next year.

“This is a major milestone in the development of tidal power technology in Scotland, and for the tidal power industry across the world. We anticipate using this turbine as part of our project in Islay, which will be the first of its kind in the world, and remains the only consented tidal array project in Scotland. Beyond this, we have ambitions to use this turbine as part of even larger scale projects in the Pentland Firth, which we are currently investigating.

“The substructure for this device was constructed in the Arnish Yard, near Stornoway in Lewis, and we aim to work very closely with The Scottish Government to support their ambitions of delivering both economic and environmental benefits for Scotland from the marine renewables industry.”

The Managing Director of Hammerfest Strom, Stein Atle Andersen, said; “The device was installed in one of Europe’s most challenging waters, during the roughest time of the year, which shows the extreme conditions the technology and the team is capable of handling.”

Scotland is widely regarded as having the best tidal power resources anywhere in the world and the progression to demonstration projects is seen as a vital step towards fully realising this potential.  The Islay project will play a key role in proving a range of factors necessary for the large scale deployment of the technology. This will include developing a better understanding of the technical aspects involved in deploying and maintaining machines and bringing forward systems to monitor and analyse their performance.

ARC Phase 2 Socio-Economic Report

A report exploring the socio-economic impacts of the proposed offshore wind farms to the west of Islay, Tiree and Kintyre has been published.  The report, commissioned by ARC members (Islay Energy Trust, Kintyre Energy Trust, South Kintyre Development Trust and Tiree Community Development Trust) from SQW, follows on from an initial scoping report (published in February 2010)

The broad purpose of this work was to assist local communities in engaging with developers and relevant authorities so as to strengthen the respective communities’ roles in the development of the projects and in the consenting process.

In summary, the report’s findings highlight the poor understanding of the planning consent process at community level and identify weaknesses vis-a-vis community engagement in the process. Evidence from other offshore wind farms indicates that local employment opportunities are more likely in the operations and maintenance phase rather than in construction and installation, that impacts on fishing, housing, tourism, seascapes, etc. are uncertain and require specific local assessment.

As part of the process of compiling the report, local community surveys were conducted. Responses and concerns about impacts – both positive and negative – varied between projects, but in general there was a broad appreciation of the potential issues and impacts, and an indication of willingness to engage in debate about the complex matters inherent in such projects.

The report recommends that communities and developers maintain close contact so that the former’s concerns are integrated into development plans, and that the Tiree scenario mapping exercise be monitored with a view to considering the value of replicating it elsewhere.

ARC members are grateful to LEADER, HIE, SNH, RSPB and ScottishPower Renewables for their financial support without which the study would not have been possible.

Philip Maxwell at the Scottish Affairs Select Committee

Philip Maxwell, chair of the Islay Energy Trust gave evidence to the UK House of Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee Inquiry in to the Crown Estate.  The committee is investigating the role of the Crown Estate and its relationship with the Scottish Parliament.

Giving oral evidence in support of IET’s written submission to the committee, Philip stressed the importance of local communities in the planning, operation and economic aspects of marine renewables.  In particular, he reiterated that “proximate or affected communities should be confident of having some proportion of the revenues with surplus going back (to central government) instead of top down distribution.”

Evidence was also given by Sandy Brunton, Chairman, Scottish Islands Federation and Ruchir Shah, Head of Policy Department, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

The video of the session is available from the parliament.uk website or you can read the Select Committee Transcript

The huge potential benefits of a new electricity grid under the Irish Sea connecting power sources on Scottish, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland electricity networks have been highlighted in an exhaustive study published today.

The Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES) study, funded by the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme, has found that development of an interconnected transmission network within the decade would help drive further growth in the renewables sector, create jobs, generate revenues and ensure future sustainable energy supplies by better connecting and exporting electricity.

A copy of the report is available here:

Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES) – Executive Summary (Draft)

The Department of Energy And Climate Change has for the first time published an assessment on the impacts of climate change policies on energy bills along with its annual Energy Statement.

Policy impacts on prices and bills – Department of Energy and Climate Change.

This makes interesting reading against a backdrop of rising energy bills and increased fuel poverty.  In particular the report notes:

“i. Recent increases in energy bills have been largely driven by rising international prices for fossil fuels, particularly gas, and not by energy and climate change policies….

iii. Wholesale gas and electricity costs represent around £600 (48%) of an average household energy bill (before any rebates) in the UK in 2011…..

iv. By contrast, Government policies are estimated to represent around £89 (7%) of an average household energy bill (before any rebates) in the UK in 2011…..

vi. By 2020 households will, on average, save £94 (7%) on their energy bills compared to what they would have paid in the absence of policies. The impact of policies in helping people to save energy, or use it more efficiently, is expected to more than offset the impact that policies delivering low carbon investment will have on energy prices;”

The Scottish Affairs Committee of the House of Commons is conducting an inquiry in to the Crown Estate in Scotland.

The Crown Estate Commissioners (CEC) are a public body responsible for the management of the Crown properties and property rights known as the Crown Estate.

The inquiry has taken written evidence and is now taking oral evidence.  Philip Maxwell, the chair of the Islay Energy Trust is giving evidence at 2.30pm on Wednesday 23rd November.

Other evidence will come from:

Coverage can be seen on ParliamentTV.

ISLAY ENERGY TRUST

Annual General Meeting

There will be presentations on:
Sound of Islay Tidal Energy Project
Renewable Energy Projects
Islay Community Energy Partnership

7.30pm Monday
21st November 2011

Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle,  Bowmore, Islay

All welcome

Sound of Islay

The Scottish Government has announced two initiatives that provide great news for the tidal energy industry.

Firstly, the Scottish Government has proposed to increase the number of renewable certificates (called ROCs) allocated to tidal energy generation from three to five per Megawatt hour.

Electricity suppliers are required to provide an increasing share of power from renewable sources.  Different numbers of ROCs are awarded to different types of renewable energy generation.  Suppliers can buy and then submit these ROCs to show that they have met their obligation.

The proposed increase to five ROCs for tidal stream energy is a significant boost and will encourage investment in the industry.

Secondly, an £18 million fund has been established to help develop Scotland’s first commercial wave and tidal power arrays.  The money forms part of £35 million the Scottish Government and its enterprise agencies will provide in direct support to the marine and tidal industry over the next three years and will be used to improve capability and infrastructure, as well as helping to fund technology solutions and the roll-out of marine arrays.

More details of the formal consultation on ROCs and on the investment fund can be found on the Scottish Government website.

Laura Watson (centre) from SPR receives the prestigious Energy North Award

ScottishPower Renewables’ (SPR) tidal energy project in the Sound of Islay has been recognised by the Energy North Awards with the project winning  the Best Offshore Renewables Award.

The Energy North Awards judges praised SPR’s extensive use of the Highlands and Islands supply chain from pre consenting, through to fabrication and highlighted that the project is significant in terms of technology and commercial scale, with massive export potential.

Alan Mortimer, ScottishPower Renewables Head of Renewables Policy, said: “This was really unexpected and we are extremely grateful for this award.

“The Highland and Islands could have a major role in the future of marine renewables and we have already seen that potential with the construction of the Hammerfest device substructure at Arnish.”

SPR was awarded consent for the world’s first commercial sized tidal project in March 2011 and are currently working towards beginning installation of the tidal turbines in 2013.

This project will utilise the 1MW Hammerfest device, with a machine due to be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney before the end of the year, in preparation for the Islay project.