Renewable energy in 1 tiny Scottish island

They undoubtedly got a huge grant from the SNP, and I would be surprised if they removed the diesel backup. It is also tiny with a very small population. Anyway, this is from the BBC propaganda machine.

Diesel generation has ben retained, but is now very little used. Generating most of the electricity from renewables is relatively easy. Generating 100% is harder, and say 5% from diesel is preferable to a greatly oversized system, or the lights going out 5% of the time.

Systems such as this IMHO need smartish metering at the point of use with at least three different rates.

HIGH rate of 60 pence a unit, when demand significantly exceeds renewable generation. Money from sales at this price should contribute to diesel fuel purchase or battery replacement.

STANDARD rate of 15 pence a unit, applicable when renewable input and demand are broadly in line. Income from this rate goes into a “sinking fund” for eventual replacement of longer lasting assets.

LOW rate of 4 pence a unit, applicable when renewable generation significantly exceeds demand.

Rates are only indicative and could be adjusted according to circumstances, but retaining the principle of a high rate when fuel is being burnt or batteries being cycled and thereby worn out. And a very low rate when renewable energy is otherwise going to waste.

As wind turbines, PV modules, batteries and power electronics get cheaper, we will see more such schemes.

Contrast to Sark, where electricity comes almost entirely from diesel engines and retails at 75 pence a unit.

Orkney is pretty near self-sufficient as well, with wind turbines and solar panels and residents being encouraged to install batteries.

The 40MW feed that was supposed to send power to the islands is now proving inadequate to handle all the power they are trying to export back to the mainland.

If the figures in this article are right, the combined systems on Eigg cost £1.6million and provides light and power for about 100 people, and ~ 95% of the time the generation is renewables. The demand limits at 5kW household might be seen as a bit thin by those who like instant electric showers rather than pumped tanks, but I presume folk who live there are adapted.

Mike

“It is also tiny with a very small population.” can it apply to mainstream? I doubt it because you would have to re-educate a lot of folk in the ways they use resources. This tiny population probably already have a head start in behaviour and expectations. Could you apply this to the general population? Well if you succeed in educating a good 50% of car drivers to drive cars anything near properly then you might a chance

Really Mike, that is £16,000 per person. So the UK as a whole would need to spend 70 million x £16,000 which is 1.12 Trillion, plus the cost of the backup diesels to generate 350 GW (70 million x 5 kW) perhaps divided by 2 per household, about another £2 Trillion. It makes the nuclear 150 GW at about 800 billion sound positively cheap! There is still the rebuild of the network of course (£3 Trillion), whichever option we choose.

It is fairly obvious that all this is impossible in any “quick” timescale, all the resources are simply not available on this scale, labour, metals, plastics, road materials, plant, design effort or even Tax revenue. Good luck with that. You then need to add the cost of transport vehicles, heat pumps, insulation and everything else. In addition, we need to build at least 500,000 houses a year to keep supply and demand in sync.

Poor Boris is nearly as confused as Alice in Wonderland!

No wonder the Scots wanted to stay in the EU!

It only works with such a sparse population - I cannot see how it could be scaled up in any meaningful way. Mind you, with levelling up everything is possible.