Averon Leisure, which manages the Averon Leisure Centre in Alness, has decided to go green.

Instead of replacing their ageing oil heating boilers with new ones they have decided to switch to a more environmentally friendly type of heating using woodfuel. The new system will be supplied with woodchips from a local pallet recycling business based in Invergordon.

Funding for the initiative has come from the Scottish Executive's Scottish Community and Household Renewable Initiative (SCHRI), the Community Economic Development (CED) programme and The Bioenergy Capital grants scheme. Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Life Long Learning will formally light the new boiler later today (27th July) marking the transition for the Averon Centre from oil heating to renewable energy.

Lewis Macdonald, said: "We were able to contribute over £55,000 through our Scottish Community Household Renewables Initiative to assist the Alness project.  SCHRI projects are not only about encouraging communities to participate first hand in renewable energy projects, but can also bring regeneration benefits locally. I am delighted that a woodfuel supply chain for this project has been established with a local company."

Woodfuel technology is not new and has been used to great effect in Nordic countries where the systems are commonplace and the industry is mature. Here in Scotland, the traditional use of fuel wood has been for open fires or woodburning stoves and it is only relatively recently that certain businesses and organisations have been taking advantage of what fully automated woodfuel systems have to offer.

The site specific design and purchase of the system is only one aspect of making the move to a renewable source of energy. The fuel supply chain also has to be in place and a reliable and consistent fuel supply has to be sourced. The chips have to be of the right size, shape and moisture content to keep the boiler running smoothly and trouble free.

Invergordon pallet services have been providing woodfuel from crushed pallets for three years and have supplied units as far afield as Bettyhill swimming pool on the north coast. Other sources of chip can include sawmill residues including slabwood and roundwood from forests. 

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Community Energy Unit (CEU) have been involved in a number of similar projects throughout the highlands and are keen to see more use of woodfuel as an alternative to oil and gas.

The CEU is charged with the delivery of the SCHRI which aims to install as wide a range of renewable energy technologies throughout Scotland as possible, in an effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of renewables and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Part of the scheme is to provide demonstration potential where possible and it is anticipated that the Averon Centre will be opening its boiler doors in future to show interested parties including local hoteliers and other small and medium sized businesses how the system operates.  

Eric Dodd, the Inverness-based manager of the CEU, said: "This project is an ideal opportunity for us to promote renewables and specifically this kind of technology to the wider community including local hotels and managers of community facilities, the trades, local sawmills and anyone else with an interest in biomass heating. It's great the Averon Centre have decided to go down this route and that there is a local fuel supply with the right specification of fuel available."
 
The Community Energy Unit is keen to help any community group interested in taking forwards renewable energy projects throughout the highlands and islands.

For further information on the assistance HIE's community energy team can offer to community groups call 01463 244202.