The renewable energy sector can offer a great deal for the economy of the Argyll and the Islands area. Not just in the large scale projects already under way in the form of large wind farms run by Scottish & Southern Energy and Scottish Power but in the small scale sector also.
Renewable energy offers communities the possibility of achieving self sufficiency in energy production in both heat and electrical power. It is part of our policy to see as many communities as possible engage in the electricity generation market by owning their own renewable energy systems. This prospect is engendering a high volume of enquiries regarding renewable energy and in wind power in particular but this is not the only technology available to community groups in Argyll.
Argyll has a wealth of natural resource locked up in its forests which Biomass CHP (Combined Heat and Power) systems can unleash and which is already being tapped into by local wood chip fuel district heating systems. We have a lengthy coastline which lends itself to tidal and wave power such as the Wavegen Limpet system on Islay. Technologies such as ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels are being introduced to our island communities. We are even seeing projects emerging in the Biogas, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell technology fields.
Over the next ten years there will be a massive shift from fossil fuels to these new technologies and our aim along with our partner agencies is to see that Argyll and the Islands reap the benefit of being at the forefront of this movement.
Communities can benefit from this new technology through the Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) which can provide grants and technical assistance which would allow them to develop their own small scale renewables project. The SCHRI is implemented in the Highlands and Islands by the Community Energy Unit of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. In the Argyll and Islands area this function is provided on behalf of the Community Energy Unit by the Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIenergy).
The Aims of the scheme are
- To support the development of community scale renewable projects
- To support the installation of household renewables
- To raise awareness of renewable technologies and their benefits to Scotland
The right hand menu lists 8 downloadable fact sheets produced by ourselves in conjunction with the Scottish Executive and the Energy Savings Trust . These files give an overview of the different technologies involved in the renewable energy sector. The documents are in PDF format and the free reader can be downloaded from the Adobe web site
Other Renewable Energy Web Links
ALIenergy - Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency
DTI's Renewable Energy Site
Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) on EST site
The Scottish Parliament Renewable Energy Group (SPREG)
ReNew Scotland
Scottish Renewables Industry Forum Site
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