Seil - an alternative way forward

[brodie]

I agree with Beetlejuice.

I can understand Nova Innovation having initial discussions with members of the Isle of Luing Community Trust as representatives of the Luing community.

I can also understand Nova Innovation having initial discussions with members of the Seil & Easdale Community Council as representatives of the Seil community and of the Easdale community.

What is unfathomable is Nova Innovation presenting a sales pitch on Easdale in conjunction with Eilean Eisdeal who are nobody's representatives apart from the directors of Eilean Eisdeal!

[jimcee]

There's a lot of agreement going on here - very nice and comforting to the posters thereon (myself included), but coming back to the Meeting to discuss this proposal.
Both Seil and Luing had already had approaches from Nova and expressed an interest but wanted fuller information. A meeting was set up on Easdale for this purpose. Why Easdale? when those from Luing had to make 2 ferry trips to attend, and Seil one. Had the meeting been on Seil this would have been a more central logical venue, and I am sure that the Seil Island hall could have accommodated the numbers attending, comfortably.
The Easdale Island venue may have been the reason for 22 people from there to attend (not neccessarily in cahoots with the directors of EE) compared with 9 from across the water. But this does suggest the tail wagging the donkey.
EE have in the past pulled off some remarkable stunts in extracting public money for the benefit of their community (whether or not this was appreciated by the rank and file) but in this instance, for a project which does not directly involve Easdale it would be inadvisable of they were in the position of calling the shots.

[Minimum]

I'm not sure I agree with Brodie about the Luing Community Trust representing the community. Surely, as with Seil, it should have been Luing Community Council. However, as I understand it, they too are involved. I also understand that the Luing Community Trust has much fairer membership rules than Eilean Eisdeal and therefore more likely to have a greater number of members from the community.

I had heard that someone tried to organise a joint meeting for all islands in Seil Hall but Nova Innovations wanted it on Easdale Island. Now, if true, this is very suspicious indeed.

[NickB]

.
With 5 ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) for every MW generated, tidal power is currently five times as profitable as wind. Cuan Sound is almost certainly an ideal place for one or more tidal turbines. Most designs currently under development are wholly subsurface and so largely invisible, and environmental issues are likely to be minimal. Community ownership of renewable energy is a proven model in other Argyll communities – think the Dancing Ladies of Gigha and Tilley the Community Turbine on Tiree.

So far so good. Where it all falls flat on its face is in anyone thinking for one minute that Nova Innovation and Eilean Easdale are the dream team to put such a project together. Eilean Easdale can have no sway or say over anything that happens in the Sound of Luing and have proved repeatedly that they cannot even speak for the small island they claim to represent. Nova Innovation have been evasive to say the least. Their device in Bluemull Sound was supposed to be in operation by December last year – but now there is doubt as to its existence, let alone its eventual deployment date. There is not even a picture or diagram of the device on Nova’s website.

If ever there was a pig in a poke this is it. However, perhaps there is some other route towards a community tidal energy project for Cuan. Community Energy Scotland might be a good starting point for some advice if any person or group wanted to explore this option further.

[brodie]

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If ever there was a pig in a poke this is it. However, perhaps there is some other route towards a community tidal energy project for Cuan. Community Energy Scotland might be a good starting point for some advice if any person or group wanted to explore this option further.

This point has been made by others on Easdale People and must be the logical way forward.

[NickB]

..
The Nova Innovation turbine started exporting electricity to the local grid this week, and for the first time anywhere in the world, electricity is being generated from a community-owned tidal turbine.

SHETLAND TIMES ARTICLE

It's over three years since this was alleged to be about to happen, but it seems that it is now working. Time for Seil to look at this again as an option perhaps ?