IECBS Presentations from 15th May 2013

A public meeting was held in Bowmore Village Hall on Tuesday 14th May to discuss the proposal to establish the Islay Energy Community Benefit Society (IECBS).  The idea was well-received and the presentations by Jenni Minto, IET’s Treasurer and David Hollings, from Co-operative and Mutual Solutions Limited, gave a clear explanation of how IECBS would operate.

Copies of the presentation are available here:

IECBS Presentations from 14th May 2013

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 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.

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

It’s been a long hard road to get to this point, and there are still hurdles to cross – notably, the possibility of a delayed grid connection due to lack of capacity on the Argyll network.  We are not the only community affected by this constraint, and as a result there has been a great deal of very constructive discussion with Scottish and Southern Energy, facilitated by Community Energy Scotland, which may lead to us being able to connect on schedule – fingers crossed.

Whenever we connect, the cost of that connection is going to be considerable, and Islay Energy Trust  have been invited to submit a Stage 2 application to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets fund to cover the work required to strengthen the grid. As part of this application we are required to show evidence of a clear and focused plan for distribution of the eventual income from the turbine. In order to do this, we have commissioned a full community needs analysis for Islay, Jura and Colonsay, building on existing studies where appropriate and consulting with as wide a variety of organisations, businesses and individuals as possible. Following confirmation of development funding from The Big Lottery Fund, consultancy firm SKS Scotland will be starting work as soon as is practical to gather your views on what our communities need to build strength and resilience.  In essence, we need answers to these questions –

• What to fund
• How to fund it – small grants, large grants
• How to distribute the fund – should IET use other existing groups to distribute the fund or set up its own mechanism?

There will be a variety of ways to respond – via survey forms, at focus groups around the islands, at open meetings – and we want to hear from all sections of the community.  If you want some ideas on how other communities are spending their earnings from renewables, just take a look at how they are doing it on Tiree with their Windfall Fund -  or on Westray.

The only limits are on ambition and imagination – and our three islands are not short on those!

Full details of the consultation events will be advertised widely, but if you would like to be sure that your group, business or household is contacted directly, please get in touch with Lindy at the IET office in Bowmore – lindy.maclellan@islayenergytrust.org.uk , Tel. 01496 301413

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.

DP Marine Energy Ltd and its partners DEME Blue Energy propose to build one of the world’s first commercial scale tidal energy parks in the waters approximately 8km off the tip of the Rhinns of Islay.

PBA Roger Tym, a firm of Economists and Planners, has been commissioned to undertake the Socio-Economic, Tourism and Recreation Assessment relating to the proposed development, and to assess the nature of the potential economic and business effects.

The firm would welcome the views of all parts of the business community on the beneficial effects in accommodating those employed or providing services during the construction, operation and decommissioning of the project or negative effects from any form of disturbance.  To that end, a business survey is available for completion on-line on the following link:

http://bit.ly/westislaytidal

Electronic and paper copies are available from the Islay Energy Trust (IET) which is helping to facilitate the assessment.  IET would like to encourage all kinds of businesses to take part in the survey and ensure that their views are included.

Further information on the survey and direct contact can be made with either the assessment team on euan.shearer@tymconsult.com or 0141-332-6464 or the Islay Energy Trust on lindy.maclellan@islayenergytrust.co.uk or 01496-301413.

The assessment team will also be contacting tourism accommodation providers direct by telephone during the week commencing 3rd December and they would be very grateful for any views or information that could be provided.  In addition, the team also hopes to have a number of face-to-face meetings with businesses in the coming weeks prior to Christmas.

Full details of the proposed project are available on-line at www.westislaytidal.com.

Gathering of wind data is an essential part of our project, as full figures are required to guarantee any finance, as well as to satisfy the turbine manufacturer that the desired turbine will perform to their warranty standards.  By next June we will have a whole year’s figures, and, if all goes well with the bird study and no geese put in an appearance in the vicinity, then shortly afterwards we hope to be granted planning permission.

That, of course, is not the whole story, as the main issue facing us at present is the lack of grid capacity in Argyll as a whole, which means that theoretically we may not be able to connect until 2016, when the new Carradale – Hunterston link is completed.  We are currently engaged with Community Energy Scotland, SSE and other bodies to try to identify a solution to this, and in the meantime will complete all preparatory work so that we are ready to move as soon as possible; our goal, grid allowing, is to have the project completed by late 2013, although this may yet prove to be ambitious.

 The delay does affect the economics of the project as the Feed-in Tariff will be reduced next April for new installations; however it will still mean around £80,000 per year should be available for community use. How best to spend this fund will be the subject of wide consultation in the near future, and we hope the wider community will help put together a sound plan.

IET Chairman Philip Maxwell with Iona MacDonald of Community Energy Scotland at the met mast site

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.

European Lobster (Homarus gammarus)

The plans for a Lobster V-Notching Scheme for the Sound of Islay took a major step forward with the visit on Monday 1^st October of Dr. Paulo A. Prodöhl from Queen’s University Belfast.  Dr. Prodöhl gave a talk to some of the local fishermen on the success of a similar scheme being run around the northeast coast of Ireland.

He explained how the fishermen would take a sample of eggs and a notch from the tail of female lobsters and returning the lobster to the sea where it was caught.

Allowing the female to continue to breed for at least another three years helps to support the lobster population in the area and the DNA analysis of the v-notch and eggs allows researchers from Dr. Prodöhl ‘s team to analyse the lifecycle and track the distribution of the lobster population.

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.

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.

Michael Moore MP at the site of the Sound of Islay Tidal Energy Project

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore MP, visited Islay this week.  He met directors and staff from the Islay Energy Trust and visited the site of the Sound of Islay Tidal Energy Project.

Amongst topics under discussion were support for early tidal arrays, the benefits of community renewable projects and the shortage of grid capacity for renewable generation.

The Secretary of State also took time to visit the Islay Woolen Mill, Islay farmers, Bowmore Distillery, Dunlossit Estate and Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle.

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)

“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

The event is also a useful opportunity to keep everyone up to date with IET’s activities, and of course to gain new members, which won’t have escaped the notice of anyone trying to get into the hall without attracting the attention of Malcolm Ogilvie, our chief recruiter. Over 31 new membership forms were handed out on the day; most have found their way back to us, but if you still have yours then feel free to drop it into the office at any time. Our membership now stands at over 300, which helps to show good community engagement when we apply for funding support for projects.

Andy Macdonald gave a thorough and informative update on the Sound of Islay Tidal project, which is making good progress, and also on display was a selection of images from the recent visual assessment carried out for our single community wind turbine proposal near Castlehill. This project is still very much in the development stage as we are in negotiation over the ground lease, but Scottish Natural Heritage, as site owner, has very helpfully given us interim permission to carry out various studies to take full advantage of our current funding. This means that in addition to commissioning the visual assessment we have been able to apply for a grid connection for the project, and have recently submitted a planning application for a met mast on the site so that we can carry out the necessary wind speed assessments. We hope that this project, which would see the installation of one 330kW turbine, will one day earn a considerable income for the community – but there are a number of hurdles still to clear, not least that grid connection application.

The visual assessment has been a very interesting exercise, and it is encouraging to see how low-key the installation would be if it goes ahead. If you didn’t see the pictures on the day, they are available to see at our office in Main Street – please call in during office hours, all comments welcome.

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.