The Orkney Energy Community
This story has been submitted by our friends at EMEC in Orkney
As a cluster of islands north of the UK mainland, Orkney living is distinct in many ways, with unique opportunities and challenges faced by the archipelago. From a helpful neighbour when faced with a difficulty, all the way to the innate collaboration across local industry groups, businesses and institutions, Orkney’s innovative and resilient nature emerges from the shared perception that the community grows and evolves through the people that live within.
In this context, it is notable that energy has historically been at the heart of perseverance and community-building on the Islands. More specifically, renewable energy and innovative local energy systems on Orkney go hundreds of years back, with primitive windmills evident from the 18th century onwards, and the use of domestic scale renewables being traced back as far as the 19th century. Less than a century ago, in 1951, the first ever grid-connected wind turbine in the UK stood proudly at Costa Head.
In this context, it is notable that energy has historically been at the heart of perseverance and community-building on the Islands. More specifically, renewable energy and innovative local energy systems on Orkney go hundreds of years back, with primitive windmills evident from the 18th century onwards, and the use of domestic scale renewables being traced back as far as the 19th century. Less than a century ago, in 1951, the first ever grid-connected wind turbine in the UK stood proudly at Costa Head.
The establishment of the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum (OREF) in 2000 is a clear example of how the often called “Energy Islands”, loaded with incredible levels of renewable energy potential, collaborate to take advantage of these capabilities in the most sustainable ways possible. Sharing knowledge and opportunities, the harnessing of energy is further exemplified by the array of Community Development Trusts across the isles, which tap into the power of the wind to the benefit of local inhabitants.
Most recently, this energy community has come together to deliver the disruptive ReFLEX Orkney project, an initiative which brings energy expertise from across the archipelago to establish an Orkney-wide low-carbon energy system. ReFLEX aims to create a ‘smart energy island’, pioneering an 'integrated energy system' in Orkney which will monitor generation, grid constraint and energy demand whilst using smart control of energy technologies to manage and improve the supply-demand balance.
The project will enable the delivery of affordable energy across the islands, integrating renewable electricity, electric vehicles, battery storage and heating, thus providing new opportunities for the Orkney community to make best use of the resources everyone has to hand. The project’s design and delivery are already a prime example of community collaboration, led by key renewable energy institutions such as EMEC and Aquatera in partnership with local government.
Most importantly, the project’s success is dependent on, and intrinsically linked to community cooperation, communication and the innate culture of proximity that has been forged for centuries in Orkney. The “Energy Islands”, as some say, and an increasingly sustainable energy community.
Most recently, this energy community has come together to deliver the disruptive ReFLEX Orkney project, an initiative which brings energy expertise from across the archipelago to establish an Orkney-wide low-carbon energy system. ReFLEX aims to create a ‘smart energy island’, pioneering an 'integrated energy system' in Orkney which will monitor generation, grid constraint and energy demand whilst using smart control of energy technologies to manage and improve the supply-demand balance.
The project will enable the delivery of affordable energy across the islands, integrating renewable electricity, electric vehicles, battery storage and heating, thus providing new opportunities for the Orkney community to make best use of the resources everyone has to hand. The project’s design and delivery are already a prime example of community collaboration, led by key renewable energy institutions such as EMEC and Aquatera in partnership with local government.
Most importantly, the project’s success is dependent on, and intrinsically linked to community cooperation, communication and the innate culture of proximity that has been forged for centuries in Orkney. The “Energy Islands”, as some say, and an increasingly sustainable energy community.