IT is known for its crofters, its bird life and its distinctive knitting style. But now residents of the Fair Isle – one of the UK’s most remote inhabited islands – are also finally set to have 24-hour power.
While most of Scotland takes power round the clock for granted, the 55 residents of the Fair Isle, which lies 24 miles south of the Shetland mainland, regularly face lights-out between 11pm and 7am if there is not enough wind to power the turbines.
But grants worth £2.6 million have now been secured to ensure round-the-clock electricity via their very own grid.
The island has used a combination of wind and diesel power generation since the 1980s but only one of the existing two wind turbines is working and it has been operating intermittently for the past 18 months.
Electricity generated cannot be stored and there is no space for new customers, so community group the Fair Isle Electricity Company is leading plans to install three 60kW wind turbines, a 50kW solar array and battery storage.
The scheme will extend a high- voltage network to the north of the three-mile long island to enable grid connections to water treatment works, the airstrip, harbour and one of the main attractions on an island famed for its birdlife – the Fair Isle Bird Observatory.
The project will not only make life easier for islanders but attract new residents to boast the population of the island.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has now awarded the final £250,000 in the package, with other contributors including the European Regional Development Fund, Shetlands Islands Council and the National Trust for Scotland, which has owned the island since 1954.
Fair Isle Electricity Company director Robert Mitchell said: “Having a constant electricity source may help to attract more people to live in Fair Isle as well as benefit the residents.
“It will also bring new employment opportunities and sustain existing employment. This ambitious project is the first step in ensuring that the community of Fair Isle continues to thrive.”
Fiona Stirling, development manager at HIE’s Shetland area team, said: “It’s a key factor in attracting new people to the island as well as helping businesses to develop. The new energy system will also be cleaner and greener, and will reduce reliance on expensive diesel, hence making living costs more sustainable.”
Ian Garman, innovation development officer for charity Community Energy Scotland, said that there would be social, economic and environmental benefits to be seen from the plans. He added that it “will make a real difference to the community”.
Garman also claimed that difficulties in getting new renewable sources on the grid had caused problems for many rural communities in recent years, meaning that they were often disadvantaged – charged more for ongrid energy but unable to benefit when they produced a surplus.
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