Comhairle nan Eilean Siar recently hosted visitors from eight EU partner countries: Belgium, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Cyprus, Spain, Croatia and Latvia, as part of its involvement in the EU-funded BEAST (Beyond Energy Action Strategies) project.
The purpose of the project is to get countries working together to look at practical ways to move ideas for sustainable energy developments in their regions from vision to reality. In their respective countries, partners are taking forward projects across the themes of sustainable transport, energy efficiency and alternative energy generation.
The visit provided a useful opportunity for knowledge sharing and information exchange. Activities included a visit to West Harris Trust and to Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust), where partners were enthused with what has been achieved through the community share offer to support the construction of its 3 wind turbines. With approaches to internal and external wall insulation being of particular interest to some of the visitors, there was also an extremely positive response to visits to homes being treated by Tighean Innse Gall through the Scottish Government’s ‘Home Energy Efficiency Programme’.
On the second day of the visit, EU partners presented some of the key projects being taken forward in their regions, including electric vehicle uptake, microgrids, energy efficient street lighting and energy performance contracting. They also heard from Tighean Innse Gall on its energy advice and insulation measures, Hebridean Housing Partnership on work done to monitor and improve energy efficiency in island homes, and an innovative project being taken forward by the Comhairle’s Technical Services Department on utilisation of waste fish products in the Anaerobic Digester at Creed Park.
Cllr Angus Campbell, Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, who welcomed the visitors to the islands, said “There is much we can learn from, and share with, our partners across Europe in respect of the challenges we face to reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency and increase renewable and alternative energy production in our regions. The visitors were extremely positive about the work that they saw going on in the islands and I hope that useful links may have been formed for future joint working between the Outer Hebrides and other parts of Europe.”
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