SCDT is examining the feasibility of generating renewal energy in and around the villages for the benefit of the community. This came about because of one of the results of the 2024 community survey where many people expressed an interest in using renewable energy.
See what Orkney is achieving, although we would expect to be on a much smaller scale!
The project is at an early stage but SCDT has been awarded a grant by CARES to consider the viability of community energy and has formed a sub-group to manage the feasibility stage of the project. (Would you like to join us? Please see last para below).
We are using this grant to employ an Edinburgh based firm to conduct surveys of potential solar, wind and hydro sites both in the villages and on adjacent land owned by some enthusiastic local landowners.
The overall idea is to generate cheap electricity to be used by local residents and/or local businesses. We may also sell electricity to the grid and use some of the profits to fund schemes in the villages that benefit the community.
Other schemes of a similar size have also locally raised money for the building of the generation infrastructure (for example buying and installing solar panels, or constructing hydro systems). See here for an example of a community funded scheme near Ullapool. In that case some of the profits go to the local people who initially funded the project and some goes to the community. That approach means we would be able to avoid large power generation firms taking most of the profit and failing to provide local cheap electricity (as has unfortunately happened in some locations).
Anyone who could bring time and relevant skills to our working group please get in touch if you might be able to join our SCDT sub-group. Email scdt@strathblane.online