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Orkney island community renewables project supported by SmartestEnergy wins Scottish Green Energy Award |
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| A community windfarm owned by the Westray Development Trust and supported by SmartestEnergy, the UK’s leading purchaser and supplier of independently generated electricity, has won the Scottish Green Energy Award for Best Community Initiative. The Trust, which works to benefit a population of 600 living on the remote Orkney island of Westray, won the award for their pioneering community wind turbine project. The 900 kW turbine, which is wholly owned by the island community, will generate around 3500 MWh per year. The project was completed in October this year and is underpinned by a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from SmartestEnergy which will provide the community with an annual income in the region of £300k, significantly boosting the island economy. The Best Community Initiative Award recognizes initiatives that have been led and developed by a community and have wide community support and involvement. Alasdair McVicar, Director of the Westray Development Trust who collected the award at a ceremony in Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to have won in this category. Many residents have put a huge amount of time over a long period to get us to where we are today. The money generated by the turbine will play a major role in developing other sustainable initiatives on the island. We couldn’t have got the project off the ground without a power purchase partner who could provide the greatest benefits over the long term. SmartestEnergy has helped us through the process, made it as easy as possible for us to get started and we look forward to generating returns for investment back into our community.” SmartestEnergy has developed tailored Power Purchase Agreements for a number of independent renewable electricity generators across the UK, allowing communities and individuals to get the best possible deal and the most attractive returns for the electricity over a number of years. Iain Robertson, SmartestEnergy’s Business Development Manager for Scotland, said: “We are delighted that the Westray turbine project has won this award. We’ve been in regular contact with the developers here from the early stages of their projects, to help understand their needs and how we can tailor our offerings for them. Orkney has some of the best renewable resources in the UK and we are proud to be able to help the local people benefit from them.” Project finance was provided by Triodos Bank. Steve Moore, Relationship Manager – Environment Team, for Triodos Bank, said, “By providing flexible power purchase agreements, which we have been able to pre-approve, SmartestEnergy is helping to open doors for independent developers and community-led renewable energy projects. We look forward to working together on more independent projects in the future.” Marks and Spencer has recently signed a contract with SmartestEnergy to buy renewable energy for its Scottish stores. The renewable energy contract will be sourced from independent Scottish generators including the Westray turbine. The contract represents the first agreement of its kind, as SmartestEnergy can secure renewable power that can be tracked from source to supply because it is backed by certificates guaranteeing the origin of power. Through these contracts, SmartestEnergy directly supports local small scale independent generators and gives them a route to market for their electricity. For more information on the M&S contract, visit: http://www.smartestenergy.com/files/eelID_708.pdf Dr. McVicar said, “Marks & Spencer is leading the industry with its Plan A initiative and we are proud that our community turbine project is contributing to this pioneering move towards a low carbon future”.
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