Islay Energy Trust

Saturday’s Renewables Day was great success, with just over 130 attendees over the course of the day and 48 of those signing up as new members of Islay Energy Trust.The new format, running presentations alongside the drop-in session, worked well.  Scott Currie’s personal experience of installing Solar PV at Conisby proved particularly popular, and inspired a rush of queries at the PV stands.  In the display area, Margaret and Blair Rozga supplied a beautifully documented account of the installation of their 20kW wind turbine at Kilmeny Farm which made the project look deceptively straightforward.

All the exhibitors will be returning to the island shortly to carry out survey work and one has already taken an order for a 4kW PV array – proof that the sun does shine on Islay!

Thanks are due to all our exhibitors who took the time to travel to the island, to those who were willing to stand up and share their knowledge and experiences, and to Islay High School Hospitality Group who kept us all fed and watered. Thanks also to the IET board for their practical help on the day and to everyone who called in and made the day such an interesting and sociable one – hope to see you again next year!

The Sound of Islay Tidal Energy project is planning to install ten of Hammerfest Strøm’s HS1000 1MW tidal turbines.  A short video demonstrating the technology is shown here:

Offshore Wind – Consultation Workshops

The Scottish Government is holding a series of follow-up workshops on the outcomes of the consultation on Scotland’s draft plan for offshore wind.  These events will be held in the following locations:

• 10 January 2011 – Argyll Arms Hotel, Campbeltown, 6.30-9 pm
• 13 January 2011 – An Talla, Tiree, 6.30-9 pm
• 20 January 2011 – Bowmore Hall, Islay, 6.30-9 pm
• 25 January 2011 – Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, 6.30-9 pm
• 26 January 2011 – Wigtown County Buildings, Wigtown, 6.30-9 pm

(refreshments available at all events from 6 pm)

All members of the public are welcome to attend these workshops. Scottish Government officials will present information on the outcomes of the consultation exercise and an update on further work on offshore wind.  They will then be on hand to answer questions and hear your views.

The analysis of consultation responses has been published on the Scottish Government website - .

Please contact the offshore wind consultation team at offshorewindconsultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or on 0131 244 1617 if you would like further information.

Statistics published by the Scottish Government showed that in 2009, renewables met over 27 per cent of Scotland’s electricity use.

The latest figures cover 2009 and show:

• Electricity generated in Scotland increased by three per cent to 51,325 gigawatt hours (GWh)
• Gross electricity consumption in Scotland decreased by 4 per cent
• 24 per cent of electricity was exported (12,145 GWh) from Scotland
• There was a 20 per cent increase in the amount of electricity from renewables (to 10,744 GWh), which includes a 37 per cent rise in electricity generated from wind, wave and solar (mainly wind)
• Scottish renewables accounted for 43 per cent of total UK renewable output

The Scottish Government’s target is to meet 80 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2020. There is now 7 Gigawatts of renewables capacity installed, consented or under construction around Scotland, set to take Scotland beyond the interim target of 31 per cent of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewables by 2011.

The development of wave and tidal resources is an important part of Scotland’s renewable portfolio; with tidal energy offering the benefit of a predictable supply.  The ten tidal device array planned as part of the Sound of Islay Tidal Project will be an essential stepping stone from single devices to larger arrays that can make significant contributions to Scotland’s energy targets.

IET Website was viewed 7,900 visits in 2010

The IET website was viewed about 7,900 times in 2010.  There were 30 new posts, growing the total archive to 55 posts. There were 56 pictures uploaded; over a picture per week.  Top referring sites in 2010 were ileach.co.uk , islayinfo.com and islayblog.com.  Thanks for your help!

The most popular searches were for islay energy trust, tidal energy, low energy light bulbs, islay energy, and low energy light bulb.

Offshore Wind - Crown Estate Leases

You will be aware of the proposals which exist to develop offshore wind farms in the waters off Argyll. We are supporting the work of ARC (Argyll Renewables Communities) which has been formed to research and understand the potential impacts of these projects, and to assist the affected communities to influence the consenting processes, to engage with the developers such that local issues are taken into account, and to enable everyone to reach balanced decisions on matters which may have significant long-term ramifications. There are many impacts to be considered, such as the effects on employment, infrastructure, tourism, culture and the landscape and we would like to gather the current views of the community.

To fulfil this, we have organised a questionnaire, which can be completed on-line or on paper. It can be anonymous if you wish, or you can attach your contact details to receive further information about the projects as they develop.

At present the developers are conducting their own research into sea-bed conditions, potential impacts on fishing, bird-life and the like. This research will continue through 2011, and we anticipate they will formulate their detailed plans over this period before applying for the necessary consents in the first half of 2012. It may be that we will issue further consultation questionnaires as new information about the developers’ plans becomes available.

ARC has already responded to the Scottish Government’s Draft Plan for Offshore Wind, making the points that:

• Both the offshore and onshore aspects of marine energy projects must be considered together (which is not the current planning process)
• The socio-economic impacts of the projects should form a part of the application for consent (again not a requirement of the current process)
• The directly affected communities must be engaged and involved in the consenting process.

By completing this survey with your considered views, you will greatly assist us in ensuring that all aspects of these major projects are fully aired and considered.

The on-line version is available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ARC_windfarm_impacts

Paper questionnaires are available from the IET office at, Custom House, Main Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay PA43 7JJ and when completed, should be returned there.

Many thanks for your assistance. We will aim to publish the outcomes in Q1 2011

Philip Maxwell, Chair – IET

Argyll Renewable Communities (ARC) has been supported by the Argyll and the Islands LEADER Programme, RSPB Scotland, SNH and ScottishPower Renewables.

A consultation workshop on Marine Scotland’s Draft Plan for Offshore WInd Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters will be held at Islay High School on the 22nd of September from 6pm to 8pm.

The event will feature two presentations followed by a Q&A session.  The first presentation by Phil Gilmour will set the  context on marine renewables and offshore wind, with more detailed information on the Draft Plan itself in the second presentation by Amanda Chisholm.

Marine Scotland are seeking to provide information and answer any questions the audience may have on the Draft Plan, and will take note of the points raised, to feed into the consultation analysis.

More information and links to the Draft Plan can be found here:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/05/19103706

A number of people completed a short survey at the Show, to help us judge how well we publicise the Trust and its work, and to gauge public opinion on potential development on and around Islay. The more responses we have to this the better – we can use the figures in reporting but also to ensure that we have a clear picture of public opinion on what will be very important issues for Islay. The survey only takes a few minutes – just click on the link on the right!

Thanks for your help.

The June Newsletter with updates on the Carbon Savings project, the Tidal Energy project and the ARC project is available for downloading here.

IET currently has more than 200 members but we are keen that as many people as possible on Islay support the aims and activities of IET. The more members we have the greater our collective influence and involvement in future renewable energy developments.

If you live on Islay either full or part-time then you can download a membership form here.  Membership is currently free and you will be kept up to date with the progress of our projects.

Offshore Wind - Crown Estate Leases

“Argyll Renewables Communities” (ARC), comprising the community-owned Islay and Kintyre Energy Trusts, and the Tiree Community Development Trust have announced the next phase of their social and economic impact assessment (SIA) of the proposed Argyll offshore wind farms.

This follows a successful funding application to EU LEADER, which will be matched by contributions from ScottishPower Renewables, HIE, SNH and the RSPB Scotland.  The SIA will be carried out by a team which will include representatives of the local communities, the consultants SQW Consulting (who published the initial ARC SIA Scoping Study  in January 2010), and Dr Jill Shankleman, a consultant sociologist with 25 years experience of social impact assessments.

ARC was established to safeguard and enhance local community interests in the development and operation of the proposed Argyll offshore wind farms: the Crown Estate has signed exclusivity agreements with SSE Renewables for projects off Kintyre (378 MW) and Islay (680MW), and with Scottish Power Renewables off Tiree (1500MW).

The key issues for local communities are firstly, to understand all of the potential impacts of the development and operational activities associated with these wind farms, and secondly, how to maximise positive benefits and minimise negative outcomes. The SIA will enable local communities to develop their own opinions from a position of knowledge.  It will also give local communities the confidence that their voice is being heard, that they are fully involved in the development process and that well-balanced judgments can be reached.

ARC believes that genuine collaboration between communities, corporate interests and consenting authorities can lead to both enhanced value for the developers and optimisation of benefits to communities.

The full press release can be downloaded here.  The project is supported by the following organisations:

ScottishPower Renewables

Swim, Pedal and Run - SPR's winning mixed triathlon team

The Islay Senior Triathlon on Saturday 26th June was the biggest ever.   Sponsored by ScottishPower Renewables and Bruichladdich Distillery there were 42 competitors, ranging for the ages of 12 to, well, considerably older than 12!

Ten men and four women battled it out for the individual prizes, with the honours being taken by Eamon Staunton and Kerry KcKay-Hubbard, both from Mid-Argyll Triathlon Club.  Special mention goes to the 3 local men and 2 local ladies who took on the challenge of the individual event and performed admirably.

The only entry in the Junior Individual Male category was Iain Harrison who gave the old(er) guys a run for their money, setting a new Junior Male Record and finishing in a time that would have placed him 3rd in the Men’s event.

In the Team events, there was sadly no competition this year for Jack Glover, Carl Reavey, and Marcus Covell who retained the Men’s Team trophy.  Four teams contested the Women’s Team trophy with Anna Storrie, Shona Ramsay, and Jenna Cockburn winning by a comfortable seven minutes.  The winners of the Mixed Team were “ScottishPower Renewables” – Laura Watson, David MacArthur & Mandy Gloyer.

The Junior Team competition is building in popularity, with two teams taking part this year. The 1st Junior Male team was Connor Boyd, Stuart Gillies & Josh Wood and the 1st Junior Mixed team was Caitlin Stewart, Scott McCalman & Millie Mitchell. 4 of these six young people were completing their second triathlon in eight days after also competing in the Schools’ Triathlon two weeks ago. Well done!

Full results can be found at the Islay Triathlon website.

It’s never easy to judge how well an event will be received, and planning anything which involves key participants arriving by ferry in January is always nerve-wracking, so it was very pleasing to see such a good turnout for Islay Energy Trust’s Renewables Day. Around 150 people took the opportunity to come along and explore the possibilities for small-scale renewables, picking up tips on heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines and hydro power. Our enthusiastic and well-informed exhibitors kept everyone interested, even the youngest, and of those who took the time to complete our quick feedback form, all felt themselves to be better informed and more likely to consider installing some sort of renewable energy system at home in the future. Several mentioned the benefits of face-to-face contact, and of receiving information directly relevant to Islay. Many were surprised at the favourable payback times, a direct result of the new Feed -In Tariff which will reward domestic energy producers by paying for every unit of electricity produced – even those used in the home. Unfortunately, due to the complex nature of many planning applications, Argyll & Bute planning department didn’t feel it would be useful to have a representative here for the day – but with such a high level of interest and such good support from all concerned, we will certainly push harder for this next time as it would clearly have been of use to many. No Islay event would be complete without catering, and special mention must be made of the Islay High School hospitality group, who provided hot drinks and tasty snacks throughout the day. This was their first venture into outside catering and their professional service was much admired. If you’d like to keep up to date with what’s happening with Islay Energy Trust then you can add your details to our mailing list by becoming a member – it’s cheap and easy! Just call in to the office with £1 and fill out a form – or give us a call and we can pop one in the post to you. If you missed the Renewables Day and would like to pick up information or to get in touch with any of our installers, (or if you were there and have a suggestion for next time!) speak to Lindy on 01496 301413, or email lindy@islayenergytrust.org.uk

Offshore Wind - Crown Estate Leases

The Scoping Report for the socio-economic impact assessment of the proposed offshore wind farms in the Argyll area is now available.  The report was commissioned by the Argyll Renewables Consortium (ARC) and written by SQW Energy and SQW Consulting.  It sets out the context of the proposed developments and defines the scope of the assessment.

A copy of the report is available here:

Forward, Executive Summary and Contents

Full Report without Annexes

Full Report with Annexes