Eigg Island to get Electricity for First Time

By Islomaniac | January 9, 2008

In 1997 a group of islanders purchased the island of Eigg from its German owner for 1.5 Million Pounds. Now as an ambitious project comes to a close, for the first time Eigg Island residents will have electricity.

Until now the residents have had to get by using diesel or hydro generators and have had to sacrifice many luxurious such as toasters and electric kettles due to their high electricity consumption.

The aim of the Eigg project is to not only develop an electricity supply, but to do so in an environmentally friendly manner. The crown jewel of the project is the five wind turbines. However, the project will also include solar panels and three hydro generation systems. The grid will be supported by stand-by diesel generators and batteries to ensure continuous availability.

I think this project is fantastic. It is great to see a group of people who not only share an island property but are working to develop it in an environmentally friendly way. I hope to hear more about their successes in the future as I am guessing there is a lot we can learn from this project.

Source: The Scotsman

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Topics: Family Islands, Remote Islands, Islands in the News, Environmental, Island Cultures |