IslayBlog.com -> 2007 ->
26/Mar/2007
Wave Power and Renewable Energy on Islay
With all the discussion about global warming, CO2 reduction and other environmental energy issues, renewable energy and in particular wave power are generating a lot of interest. I've noticed the LIMPET wave power station on Islay popping up in a number of blogs over the last few weeks and months. Just today Ron picks it up, as does the Green Options blog. Thing is, this is not really new. I've written about the Islay wave power station and green energy on Islay back in 2004:
- Ministry of Propaganda - 09/Feb/2004: “Renewable energy on Islay”
- Ministry of Propaganda - 08/Feb/2004: “Swimming in Whisky”
As a lot of the old links are still valid and interesting I'm going to repost them here and add a few more about the topic of wave power and other renewable energy sources. First the ones already mentioned in the old entries:
- The company who develops and builds the wave power station is Wavegen from Inverness
- They also have a page about the Limpet station on Islay and a few pictures
- Greenpeace have a page about the Islay Wave Bus, which is (indirectly) powered by the wave power station. (2007 Note: I'm not sure if this is still in use, I can't remember seeing it on Islay for a long time)
- And finally a page with an animation how the wave power station works (Flash required, official entry page)
- Bowmore distillery proves a fine malt can be green, about using waste energy from the distillery to heat the local swimming pool
Then some further pages I've collected over the last couple of months:
- A quite old article from November 2000, but it gives an excellent overview of the technology: How it works: Wave power station.
- Electricity from the sea covers Limpet as well as a other wave power generation options. Ray Husthwaite from Islay get's a quote.
- A very recent good entry at Celsias: Ocean Power on the Rise. Main focus is on the ‘Salter's Duck’, but the station on Islay also earns a mention.
- In Catching the power of the sea The Guardian writes about tidal power generation. One potential site for this technology would be the Sound of Islay between Islay and Jura. If you've ever seen the tidal flow you will understand why...
And finally after all those good news at least a mention of the issues, I quote what I wrote in my travelogue entry about an evening walk at Portnahaven with a visit to the wave power station:
The Wavegen Wave Turbine is a quite interesting project: Waves flow into larges tubes and by doing that push out the air from these tubes. This in turn powers wind turbines which generate the electricity. In theory a very good idea, although in practice not without problems. The air being pushed through the turbines can create a lot of noise, quite disturbing for anyone living near the station. We also heard that the power grid on Islay isn't good enough to transport the electricity generated by station to other parts of Islay apart from Portnahaven.
I'm sure further entries about Islay and renewable energy will follow over the coming months and years...
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