Nearly a century ago George Bernard Shaw, on visiting the Pentland Firth, commented on its colossal tidal energy potential. Still relatively untapped by man, the tides, along with wave, wind and solar power are all sources of non-polluting renewable energy that ECO would welcome.

There have been experiments in wind power generation in Orkney, at Burgher Hill in Evie, where three wind generators have existed, including one of the largest experimental wind generators in the world. One unsuccessful and extremely short lived attempt to capture wave power was installed just off Dounreay. However, it is hard to see how any serious developments with a permanent practical application can occur in renewable energy without committed government financial support. As long as government continues to reflect the vested interests entrenched in traditional fossil fuel,we will continue to pollute the planet. In making mere token efforts in the renewable energy direction, nothing of long-lasting value or significance is likely to be achieved. Hence the role of ECO can only be one that is limited to raising public awareness and lobbying local and more senior government officials - conceivably a slow and long term process.

ECO’s advice is occasionally sought by the local media, as for example when the topic of raised sea levels became momentarily fashionable and we were asked to provide a projected scenario for Orkney’s future in this respect. The information provided below is largely taken from the DTI website - http://www.dti.gov.uk/renewables/. Further information about how renewable energy is being applied in Orkney is available on the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum website - http://www.oref.co.uk. OREF represents abroad diversity of interests including business development, environmental agencies, Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Enterprise. OREF objectives are to:

• Encourage the preferential use of renewable energy in Orkney.
• Debate the best technical and sustainable options for increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency in Orkney
• Facilitate Research and Development in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Disseminate information on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Seek out facilities, funding and services to support forum activities.
• Lobby on the strategic issues affecting the development of a renewable energy sector in Orkney.
• Act as a consultative body on issues related to connecting Orkney to renewable energy markets.

ECO submitted responses to Orkney Islands Council’s request for comments on its Renewable Energy Planning Framework - you can read these at Towards a Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Developments and ECO Response to Orkney Renewables Framework. Further comments on a structured approach to renewable energy development are also included in our response to a wind turbine planning application. Renewable energy is the term used to describe energy flows that occur naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from the wind, waves or tides. The origin of the majority of these sources can be traced back to either the sun (energy from the sun helps to drive the earth’s weather patterns) or the gravitational effects of the sun and the moon. This means that these sources are essentially inexhaustible.

The key issue is how to extract this energy as effectively as possible and convert it into more useful forms of energy. This can range from directly using the energy from the sun to heat water to using mechanical devices, such as wind turbines, to convert the kinetic energy in the wind into electrical energy. Climate change
Energy underpins virtually every aspect of our economy and day-to-day lives. However, the use of fossil fuels, which currently provide the bulk of our energy, releases greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. Due to factors such as population growth and changes in lifestyle, the demand for energy has increased to levels where the burning of fossil fuels is releasing enough greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to begin to directly affect our climate system.

There is a growing scientific consensus that climate change is real and that it poses an immense threat to the world we live in. Impacts of climate change will make global problems such as drought, famine, flooding, disease, regional insecurity and population displacements worse, and seriously hinder poor countries’ efforts to tackle poverty.

Atmospheric CO2 levels are currently at an all time high of 380ppm having increased from 280ppm in 1880. CO2 levels are expected to reach 450-650ppm in the IPPC scenarios for lowest possible stabilisation and business as usual. This is 2-3 times the highest recorded concentration in the last 400,000 years. Stabilising CO2 at 550ppm requires a 60% reduction in emissions by 2050, compared to the Kyoto target of 5-10% by 2010.

Source: IPCC (2001) http://www.ipcc.ch/present/presentations.htm

Energy use Two scenarios for energy use have been developed by Shell, working closely with the IPCC – Dynamics as Usual and the Spirit of the Coming age. Each scenario has a predicted outcome of energy use in from different energy sources. Note the rapid increase in the renewables sector from <5% to over 20% of world energy production. Two policy instruments are currently being used to promote the development and use of renewable energy sources. Creation of low term markets and subsidies for electricity and energy generated from renewable sources. Creation of a carbon market by the EU in 2005. Carbon trading is a major step forward in promoting renewable technologies.

Source - http://www.shell.com/static/royal-en/downloads/scenarios.pdf.

The UK is currently responsible for the release of around 3 per cent of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions, despite having only 1 per cent of the world’s population. UK energy industries are the largest single contributors to UK greenhouse gas emissions, contributing over a third (54 million tonnes) of the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the UK.

To help lessen the effects of climate change, we must reduce the level of greenhouse gases emitted. This can be achieved by generating our energy from sources that emit low or even zero levels of greenhouse gases, such as renewable energy. We can also make sure that we use energy as efficiently as possible. However, these are not either/or options.

General pollution
As well as countering the effects of climate change, using renewable energy will also help to reduce other forms of environmental and social damage arising from the use of fossil fuels. For example, it will minimise the impact of acid rain on water and forest ecosystems, or reduce localised air pollution and its subsequent health impacts.

Security of supply
Another important reason for alternative forms of energy is security of supply. We need to take steps to make sure that the UK continues to have the energy that is vital to its economy. Within a few years, the UK will no longer be self-sufficient in energy and it is expected to become a net importer of gas as early as 2006.

The energy industry still relies on finite, diminishing sources of fossil fuel such as coal, oil and gas. In 2003, approximately 75 per cent of the UK’s electricity was generated from fossil fuel sources, just over 22 per cent from nuclear sources, and less than 3 per cent from renewable sources.

Using indigenous renewable sources of energy will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and will bring diversity and security of supply to the UK’s energy infrastructure, as well as helping to improve the environment and minimise the impact of climate change.

Government targets
The UK Government has signed the Kyoto Protocol. The Government’s Climate Change Programme set out its proposals for meeting its target of a 12.5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, under the Kyoto Protocol and EC Member States agreements, in the period 2008–12 and seeks to reduce emissions further – to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010.

In the 2003 Energy White Paper “Our energy future – creating a low carbon economy”, the Government also pledged to cut current carbon dioxide emissions in the UK by 60 per cent by 2050. As part of its goal to reduce emissions, the Government has set a target for the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. By 2010, 10 per cent of UK electricity should come from renewable sources. There is also an ‘aspiration’ to double this by 2020.

To meet the 10 per cent target, approximately 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy will need to be generated. This equates to between 3,000 and 5,000 wind turbines, or two hundred 50-megawatt biomass power stations. The Scottish Executive has set a higher target for Scotland of 18% by 2010 and 40% by 2020. Scotland is able to do this already generates 11% of its electricity from hydroelectric schemes compared with 3.5% for the UK.

While the UK has set these targets for renewable electricity, electricity is only a small part of total energy consumption (approximately 17 per cent of final consumption in 2003) and efforts are also being made to increase the use of renewable energy for heat production and within transport.

What role does renewable energy play now?
In 2003, approximately 2.7 per cent of the total amount of electricity in the UK came from renewable sources. In April 2002, the Government introduced the Renewables Obligation, which requires all licensed electricity suppliers in England and Wales to supply a specified and growing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources, and provides financial incentives for them to do so. In Scotland, the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) performs the equivalent function. Northern Ireland is set to introduce its own Obligation in 2005.

Wind
The use of wind as a renewable energy resource involves harnessing the power contained in moving air. Wind represents a vast source of energy that has already been harnessed for hundreds of years. The UK has the largest potential wind energy resource in Europe and wind power is currently one of the most developed and cost-effective renewable energy technologies. Wind turbines can be situated either onshore or offshore. Offshore wind is just beginning to be developed, but has enormous potential.

Solar
Solar energy involves capturing and harnessing the sun’s energy. There are three main ways of doing this:

• Passive solar design ensures that a building’s form and fabric captures the sun’s energy and reduces the need for artificial light and heating.
• Active solar water heating converts solar radiation into heat, which can be used directly or stored.
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar cells convert sunlight into electricity.

Biomass
Biomass, also known as biofuels or bioenergy, is obtained from organic matter, either directly from plants or indirectly from industrial, commercial, domestic or agricultural products. The use of biomass is generally classed as a ‘carbon-neutral’ process because the carbon dioxide released during the generation of energy is balanced by that absorbed by plants during their growth.

However, it is important to account for any other energy inputs that may affect this carbon-neutral balance on a case-by-case basis, for example any use of fertiliser, or energy consumed in vehicles when harvesting or transporting the biomass to its point of use.

Wave and Tidal
Both wave energy and tidal power involve harnessing the movement and energy contained in the ocean and converting it into electrical power. This is an especial area of interest for Orkney. Further information is available on the Stromness based European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) website www.emec.org.uk.

Hydrogen
Hydrogen is an ‘energy carrier’ rather than a fuel source because it can only be produced using energy. It can be produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal by the application of heat, but it can also be produced using renewable energy. Producing this would allow the whole of the energy chain to produce only low or even zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydroelectric
Hydroelectric power is the energy derived from flowing water in rivers, or from man-made installations where water flows from a high-level reservoir down through a tunnel and away from the dam. Water power was used for centuries to power machinery, for example for grinding corn or in mills and factories, but was largely replaced by steam power in the Industrial Revolution. Water power is now mainly used to generate electrical energy

Geothermal
Geothermal energy involves the exploitation of different grades of thermal energy stored within the earth. In certain geological areas, heat from deep within the earth’s interior can rise up to the surface. Whenever water enters fissures in this hot rock, it can become heated and can emerge on the surface as hot springs, or even as steam, creating features such as steam vents, geysers and hot mud springs. Alternatively, heated water can be trapped below the earth’s surface as a geothermal reservoir. This heat can reach temperatures of 400°C. Drilling to depths of over two miles can access it.

Ground-source heat is a different form of geothermal energy. It is extracted from the low-temperature heat (10–20°C) that is found at relatively shallow depths within the earth’s crust. This source of heat remains at a relatively constant temperature all year and can be taken from the ground itself or from groundwater. Heat pumps can increase the temperature to provide a more useful output temperature of around 40–50°C, ideal for low-temperature heating systems like under floor systems and radiant panels. Network connections
Renewable energy projects that generate electricity normally connect to either the transmission grid or the distribution grid. The difference between these grids is normally the voltage – transmission grid voltages are normally 220 kilovolts and above (132 kilovolts and above for offshore wind and Scotland). Distribution voltage levels are normally 11 kilovolts, 33 kilovolts, 66 kilovolts and 132 kilovolts (except offshore wind and Scotland).

Network connections are particularly important in Orkney. Further development of onshore and offshore resources are currently constrained by the lack of export capacity. Plans to install additional export capacity as 132 KV cable across the Pentland Firth are currently being considered.

Energy Saving Trust	www.est.org.uk
EuroRex	www.eurorex.com
Renewable Energy	www.renewableenergy.com
Renewable Energy World	www.jxj.com/magsandj/rew
British BioGen	www.britishbiogen.co.uk
British Photovoltaic Association	www.pv-uk.org.uk
British Wind Energy Association	www.bwea.com
UK trade associations
Association of Electricity Producers	www.aepuk.com
The Association for the Conservation of Energy	www.ukace.org
British Hydropower Association	www.british-hydro.org
The Combined Heat and Power Association	www.chpa.co.uk
Industrial & Power Association (Scotland)	www.ipa-scotland.org.uk
Nuclear Industry Association (formerly British Nuclear Industry Forum (BNIF))	www.niauk.org
Renewable Power Association	www.r-p-a.org.uk
Scottish Renewables Forum	www.scottishrenewables.com
Seapower	www.marine-renewables.com
Solar Trade Association	www.solartradeassociation.org.uk/
Society of British Gas Industries	www.sbgi.org.uk
UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy	www.bcse.org
The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA)	www.ukooa.co.uk
The UK Petroleum Industry Association	www.ukpia.com
Government sites
The Coal Authority	www.coal.gov.uk
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)	www.defra.gov.uk
Department of Trade and Industry Global Watch Service	www.globalwatchonline.com
Environment Agency	www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)	www.odpm.gov.uk
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem)	www.ofgem.gov.uk
Scottish Executive	www.scotland.gov.uk
Welsh Assembly	www.wales.gov.uk
Websites with news on renewable energy and environmental topics	www.est.org.uk
EuroRex	www.eurorex.com
Renewable Energy	www.renewableenergy.com
Renewable Energy World	www.jxj.com/magsandj/rew
World associations, councils and societies
AGORES	www.agores.org
CADDET	www.caddet.org
European Commission Directorate General for Energy (DG XVII)	www.europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/ energy_transport/index_en.html
European Environment Agency	www.eea.eu.int
Eurostat	www.europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/
EUROPA	www.europa.eu.int
The Institute of Energy	www.instenergy.org.uk/questbetw.asp
International Energy Agency	www.iea.org/index.html
International Geothermal Association	http://iga.igg.cnr.it/index.html
World Energy Council	www.worldenergy.org
World Renewable Energy Network	www.wrenuk.co.uk

One example - labelling:

Here it is feasible for ECO to have a role. Tentative plans exist for an investigation into the precise nature of local food sources with respect to their labelling claims - for example what is meant by the terms “barn fresh”, or “free range” eggs etc. What do statements like ‘freedom food’ or ‘quality assured’ produce actually mean in terms of how food is produced and in relation to standards of animal welfare?

We have recognised the advent of genetic modification in food and approached a local supermarket for policy explanations in this regard. ECO would oppose any premature experiments in growing crops of genetically modified varieties and we are not aware of any such activity within Orkney.