Fair Isle Contracting project which brought 24/7 power to remote community scoops top Scottish green energy ‘Oscar’

A community project which brought round the clock power to one of the country's most remote outposts walked away with top prize at the Scottish Green Energy Awards last night [6/12/18].

Fair Isle’s new renewable energy system replaces polluting diesel generators and has allowed islanders to use electricity round the clock for the first time. It was one of several projects celebrated at the annual Scottish Green Energy Awards in Edinburgh where it won the Judges Award for Fair Isle Low Carbon Energy System.

The three-mile long remote Scottish island has used a combination of wind and diesel power since the 1980s, but it has been lights out between 11.30pm and 7.30am on nights when there is no wind. But all that changed thanks in part to the hard work of engineers and electricians from SSE Enterprise Contracting, who completed a six-month project to power up Fair Isle – which is located between Shetland and Orkney.

SSE Contracting’s involvement was led by Mike Ferrier, who described it as one of the most logistically challenging projects he had ever led but eased by the warm welcome from islanders. “This is the fifth Scottish Island that SSE Contracting has helped power up with round the clock electricity,” explained engineer and project manager Mike.

“Without doubt it’s been one of the trickiest to pull off because of Fair Isle’s remoteness. Simply getting the equipment on site was a challenge because we had to charter vessels from Orkney and contend with the different weather conditions. But what has made this project such plain sailing otherwise has been the warmth and hospitality of the locals who have welcomed our guys with open arms. The National Trust provided our small team with accommodation and the locals have been cooking for them so we’d all sit down and eat together like a Scottish version of the Waltons you might say!”

The awards, hosted by comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli, celebrated the achievements of Scotland’s renewable energy industry which employs 16,000 people and currently generates two-thirds of the country’s electricity demand. Clare Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, told how the 2018 awards – the industry’s 16th – “showed the depth of talent which exists in the renewable energy industry.”