Pilot energy project receives £1.2m from Scottish Government

The Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust has been awarded £1.2 million from the Scottish Government for their Heat Smart Orkney project.

The project aims to pilot a smart control system that will link the renewable energy generation from community owned wind turbines with the heating systems in local residents’ homes.

Orkney’s electricity grid is curtailed at times, with turbines having to be switched off.

The project will use the excess electricity that can not feed into the grid and divert this to new electric flow boilers or new stand-alone electric heaters and hot water immersion heaters in domestic properties.

Speaking at the annual Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) Conference in Stirling today, Tuesday, energy minister Fergus Ewing announced that nine projects would receive a share of over £10 million to support innovative large-scale low carbon local energy projects through the Local Energy Challenge Fund.

Launched in August 2014, the fund aims to demonstrate the value and benefit of local low carbon energy economies that link energy generation to energy use.

The fund achieves this through supporting innovative projects to develop local energy systems and solutions.