Renewables expo

Attended the Martins Memorial Hall this afternoon to view an exhibition by Stornoway Wind, where proposals for a windfarm west of the town of Stornoway were put on display. It is for 47 turbines in the area broadly between the Barvas Hills and the Grimshader road. If all goes according to plan, the windfarm will be operational by 2015.

The expo also expounded on the community benefit, which includes economic and environmental benefits, such as jobs and reduction of carbon footprints.
There were several photo montages, showing how the windfarm would look from various parts of the island, from Ranish in the south of Barvas in the north. And I still don’t like the prospect of a flurry of 300 ft turbines barbed-wiring the skyline. Call me a nimby, but I have not changed my mind since the large AMEC windfarm hit the buffers a few years ago.
On a more positive note, I was pleased to see plans afoot to install a Pelamis (sea-snake) wave energy generator north of Great Bernera. This has virtually no visual impact, although I can imagine that it would be in the way of local fishery. Whether such is the case needs to be investigated.

The only drawback to this project, (and additionally to the windfarm project as well) is that the energy, generated by these renewables assets has to be exported to the National Grid, necessitating the building of a submarine electricity cable, colloquially referred to as the Interconnector. I have expressed my opposition to this project in previous posts - in summary, it would industrialise the village of Gravir (where the cable would come ashore in Lewis), burden the Lochs district with large electricity pylons and have a substantial impact on the West Highlands (from Dundonnell to Beauly).

Wavepower

I was very pleased to read that a so-called "wave farm" has been proposed for installation off Great Bernera, west of Lewis. A wave farm (terrible description) consists of several units of Pelamis, which convert the energy of wave action into electricity. How this works in practice, off Portugal, can be read here.

A tidal generator is to be built off Shader (Barvas), and should this new installation become reality, it would place the Western Isles at the forefront of renewable energy usage. Pelamis was designed in Scotland, trialed off Orkney and initially produced in the Arnish Fabrication Yard. I sincerely hope that any orders for Pelamis will be placed at Arnish, bearing in mind it is only some 30 miles from Great Bernera (by road). Whilst the Fabrication Yard has proven to be temperamental in terms of its viability, I support any projects that would put some sustainability in that plant's future. Should the Great Bernera project prove a success (and I think it will be), other wavepower projects may ensue elsewhere in Scotland or indeed the UK. From there on, the sea is the limit.

Economy and environment

More developments on the windfarm front. Remarks by the Council Convener during Monday's Energy Forum were published today, and they do serve to clarify the stance adopted by the Comhairle over this issue.

Basically, they insist on having a commercial sized windfarm in Lewis in order to justify an interconnector - the subsea cable that will carry all the power generated in the island to mainland consumers. The windfarm will also boost investment into the Arnish Fabrication Yard - anyone opposed to these schemes are intent upon turning Lewis into an environmental museum.

Methinks that our Councillors have signally failed to take heed of the words of the Energy Minister at the same Forum, when he said that environmental concerns have to be taken into account. They have also not taken cognisance of the reasons why the North Lewis Windfarm could be on the road to rejection.

The Arnish Fabrication Yard can do much more than just make windturbines. During 2006, they made segments for the Pelamis (wavepower generator), to mention but one thing.

Another point made by the Convener was that he feels that there has been an exemplary level of community consultation. If that is the case, why are up to 90% of Lewis residents opposed to the North Lewis Windfarm and it is yet being forced through? Far from exemplary, this episode has shown a breathtaking level of detachment from the community on the part of Western Isles Council.

Far from being opposed to development, most people would welcome a boost to the local economy. However, economic development and care for the environment are not mutually exclusive. Preserving the centre of the island as a unique habitat could bring economic benefits in terms of tourism, a pillar of the local economy often overlooked.

The Energy Minister mentioned tidal and wave power, for which the Hebrides could equally be a powerhouse, with a far lesser environmental impact. The study, announced by Jim Mather, into Harnessing Renewable Energy, should be a template for the Comhairle to work out its economic development strategy, with a broader view than exclusively windpower.

Pelamis

An announcement reached me early this morning that the Arnish Fabrication Yard could benefit from an order for 4 Pelamis units for a 'wavefarm' in Orkney, and possibly 23 other ones for Portugal. Although it's more than likely that the Portuguese will make those themselves. There is also an order in the pipeline are also several hundred turbines to be constructed for a windfarm in the Thames Estuary.

This would indeed be a fantastic windfall (sic) for the Fabrication Yard.

Small problem.

There is nobody about to operate the Yard at the moment. Any takers?