News / Ferry terminal turbines would cut costs and emissions
SHETLAND Islands Council is looking to install wind turbines at two of its North Isles ferry terminals as it seeks to generate greener electricity.
If funding is achieved for the turbines at Hamars Ness and Ulsta, the council would then look into installing turbines at the Bressay ferry terminal and Tingwall Airport.
The two 10kW Aircon LA10 turbines would cost £128,000 and the spend to save project would pay themselves back after seven years.
The North Isles turbines would reduce the energy running costs of each ferry terminal by £163,581 over the 20-year lifetime of the project, as well as cutting the council’s carbon emissions by over 800,000kg in total.
It would give a chance for the council to offset some of the carbon emissions from the ferries themselves, as the vessels connect to shore power.
In a business justification case report due to be presented for approval at the SIC’s policy and resources committee on Monday, staff said that “budget savings could have been larger had it been possible to install a larger wind turbine.
“However, we are constrained by the limitations of the Shetland grid and the permitted amount of energy that SSE will allow us to generate.”
It is calculated that each turbine will generate 44,826 kW a year, which is approximately 39 per cent and 57 per cent of annual electricity demand for the Fetlar and Yell ferry terminals respectively.
It is also noted in the report that utilising on-site electricity generation will also save money in that the cost of importing electricity from the grid is likely to rise every year.
Chairman of the SIC’s environment and transport committee Ryan Thomson, who is a councillor for the North Isles, welcomed the plans.
“These spend to save proposals make sense not only from an environmental aspect, but also from a financial point of view where by it is estimated to provide a return of around 322 per cent on the initial investment,” he said.
“It is my view that more should be done to harness Shetland’s potential renewable energy, particularly when it will directly involve the council reducing its carbon emissions, but also saving the council money.”
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