ocean

It is more than just cables, energy and water says Marcello Graziano, MERIKA Research Associate at SAMS, UHI.

‘The world’s first community-owned tidal project has gone live today.’

So was announced by Community Energy Scotland and the Scottish Government on May 21^st,^[1][2] after the 30kW device placed in 30 meters of water started generating electricity, sending it through a 1 km-long cable onshore to Yell, Shetlands.

Waves As much as the project represents a great achievement for the community of Yell, I cannot avoid asking myself if the direct and proactive involvement of the community might have far-reaching implications for the way energy projects are conceptualized, planned and developed in Scotland. Because of its proactivity to venture in to a new, risky, business, with no ‘royalty’ or ‘lease’ scheme involved, has this community become an entrepreneur in the context of sustainability? The way in which this project will progress further, along with the other local initiatives (e.g. a small wind farm and the local industrial estate)[3] will show if and how much local communities, benefit when engaging directly with energy production. However, these benefits may be more than just savings on the electricity bill. The availability of a local electricity supply could attract or strengthen local businesses and activities, thus increasing the economic base of the community.