Orkney’s energy expertise has been recognised once again at the Scottish Green Energy Awards.
Six local companies and projects have been named on the shortlist for the event organised by Scottish Renewables, with the winners to be announced in Edinburgh at the beginning of December.
Orbital Marine Power head up the Orcadian contingent with no less than three nominations. The tidal energy developers are in the running for the Best Innovation award, the Champion of Renewables title and the Outstanding Project award, for the development of its successful O2 tidal device.
The European Marine Energy Centre has been shortlisted for two awards at the event. It will be competing alongside Orbital in the Champion of Renewables section, and is also up for the Positive Improvement award.
Completing the Orkney nominations is the Island of Hoy Development Trust. It has been included on the shortlist for the Best Community Project category, thanks to its 'legacy project'. Income from the island’s 900kW wind turbine has supported a number of community developments over the last decade, and now its innovative new project will target all domestic homes in Hoy so residents can benefit directly from renewable energy technology – including solar panels, load control and battery storage.
The system is currently being piloted in five homes, providing real-world data so its performance and impact can be fully monitored. It’s hoped funding can be sourced to help with an island-wide roll-out in the future.
The nominations are another example of the burgeoning green energy industry in Orkney and come at an important time for the sector, with Scotland set to host the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November.
Find out more about these islands of energy with our dedicated section on Orkney.com.