Scilly Isles to roll-out £10.8m clean technology scheme

The remote Isles of Scilly off the south-west coast of England will soon play host to a pioneering new clean technology programme.

The small community of 1,000 homes is heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels for its energy supply, and is also ranked as one of the highest areas in the UK for fuel poverty.

To address these issues, the island’s local authority is teaming up with Japanese company Hitachi to create a modern, clean and self-sufficient energy system.

Starting from this summer, up to 450 kilowatts of solar panels are being installed on the rooftops of homes, public buildings and other facilities, to double its renewable energy capacity. It will also save an estimated 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

In addition, 100 households will receive technology to help them monitor and manage their energy usage. A further 10 homes will pilot the use of battery storage and air source heat pumps.

The power generated by the solar panels will be sold by the Isle of Scilly Community Venture and the income recycled back to households to reduce electricity bills. A unique energy tariff to the islands will be launched this summer as well.

The programme is being supported with £8,637,179 of funding from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund. It hopes to kick start a clean energy transformation that will see 40 percent of demand coming from renewable sources by 2025, and a further 40 percent of vehicles become electric, or low-carbon. This will help reduce carbon emissions and energy bills for the estimated 2,200 people who live on the islands.

Amanda Martin, Chairman of the Council of Isles of Scilly, commented last year that the project, called Smart Energy Islands, “aims to deliver the Isles of Scilly’s main infrastructure and energy requirements in a sustainable and affordable way, whilst providing social benefits such as skills training and innovative healthcare solutions.”