Renew On Line (UK) 34

Extracts from the November-December 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

6. Orkney wave power

A pioneering wave energy test site is planned in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has given its support for a test centre for marine energy production on the island of Orkney. The executive hopes the centre will result in Scotland taking the lead in exploiting energy from the seas around its coast and, along with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will provide the £400,000 needed to fund a detailed feasibility study. All being well, it is hoped the centre will become operational during 2002.

Rhona Brankin, the deputy environment minister, told Scotland on Sunday (22nd July): “Marine energy could contribute significantly to Scotland's energy needs over the coming decades. But the technology needs to be proven in what is a very harsh environment.”

Earlier this year Inverness-based Wavegen, established the world’s first commercial wave power station on Islay. But RVco, a British firm, has announced it will be building a commercial version of its wave energy generator in Iceland after being told it would take two years to get approval for it to go ahead in Britain (see Renew 132). Dr John Hassard, RVco’s co-founder, said it had only taken one call in Iceland to get approval.

According to Scotland on Sunday, Stromness was chosen from a shortlist of four sites. The others were near Dounreay, in Caithness, South Uist and Islay. Experts advising HIE evidently believed Stromness was the best candidate because of its strong tidal currents and proximity to existing power lines. However, the feasibility study will also take into account concerns that the new test facility could blight what is one of Scotland’s most beautiful coastlines. Brankin said that the study would be completed quickly and insisted the other sites considered could expect to benefit in future from the technology developed off Stromness. “The selection of Orkney does not mean that other parts of the north and west of Scotland will not benefit from marine energy”.

Wind also on the rise

In parallel wind power is booming in Scotland. AIRTRICITY, a newly-established business, backed by Irish wind-power generating company, Eirtricity, is pushing ahead with plans to create eight wind farms across Scotland over the next five years- from Dumfries and Galloway to Morayshire. The company, headed by Steve Cowie, a former business development manager at ScottishPower, has just tabled plans for a £35m wind farm on the Braes of Doune in Perthshire.

Scotland may also soon host the UK’s biggest wind farm. ScottishPower wants to install 140 turbines at Eaglesham Moor, south of Glasgow. The £150m 240 MW scheme would be visible from parts of Glasgow, ten miles away, and from East Kilbride, and could provide a third of Scotland's renewable target. Detailed local consultation is planned. With Vesta also planning to set up a new wind turbine manufacturing plant in Scotland (see later), things are clearly looking up.

In addition, the Scottish Executive has said it would increase support for established hydro plants as part of the Renewable Obligation (Scotland)- see left. Scottish and Southern Energy, which already supplies just under 50% of the UK’s renewable output, welcomed the move, in particular the decision that output from hydro stations of 20MW capacity and below will receive renewable obligation certificates (see Renew 133) .

* The other good news for Scotland is that the Government has decided that the 25m tonnes of spent nuclear fuel still at Dounreay will be stored rather than reprocessed there.