The Dancing Ladies of Gigha
www.gigha.org.uk/windmills
After many years of decline, the Isle of Gigha's private owners, the Holt family, put it up for sale in August 2001. After a democratic vote the 98 strong population (including six children) decided to launch a bid to buy the island, supported by the local MSP and a number of other bodies. The community set up the Gigha Heritage Trust, which became the new owner of the island on March 15th 2002.
A condition of the grant was to pay back £1 million of the grant to the Scottish Land Fund by March 2004. The Board of Directors of the Gigha Heritage Trust established a five-year development plan to regenerate the island including plans for sustainable housing, the Gigha Hotel, holiday cottages and a wind farm. After a year of feasibility studies, tests and planning assessments, work started in November 2004 with stone for the road and foundations being excavated from the new Gigha Quarry. The second-hand ' Dancing Ladies' named by the community as Faith, Hope and Charity were delivered at the end of November, cleaned up by members of the community, erected, and on 15th December 2004 were switched on.
The Gigha community now generates two thirds of its electricity requirements and is using part of the money generated by the wind farm to contribute to radical energy saving measures in the trust-owned housing stock, 80% of which is below a reasonable standard. As Dr Eleanor Logan, Chief Executive, Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust puts it:
"The wind resource in Scotland is unparalleled and more communities should be able to tap into this. Gigha was able to capitalise on the available wind due to a combination of a unique financial package and the willingness and entrepreneurship of the community themselves."
Lessons and thoughts:
- Community ownership offers a highly inclusive model for wind farm development that can be replicated in many parts of the UK.
- By generating their own electricity and selling their Renewable Obligation Certificates through their electricity supplier, Gigha residents will generate a new source of revenue for the island, whilst providing funds for the replacement of the turbines at the end of their working life.
- The residents are using the net profit from the project to fund energy efficiency improvements, which should in time allow the community to reduce their energy consumption and achieve an even higher contribution from renewable energy without any expansion in generating capacity. Indeed, one day they could become net exporters.
Key facts:
The Isle of Gigha is the most southerly of the Hebridean islands, three miles west of the Kintyre Peninsula. Population is 130 and rising with 15 children in the school.
- The project used three pre-commissioned (second hand), Vestas V27 wind turbines with a rated capacity of 225 KW. The turbines were originally installed at Windcluster's Haverigg 1 site in Cumbria, which was recently 're-powered' (upgraded).
- Total capital expenditure was £440K, based on a three-way mix of grant funding, debt finance, and equity finance. The project anticipates gross annual income of £150K.