Tidal array could directly power new electric vehicle charger

THE TIDAL energy array in the Bluemull Sound could be set to power a new electric vehicle charger in Yell – as well as possibly the Cullivoe Pier in the future.

A planning application has been submitted by Shetland Islands Council for a public electric vehicle charge point and shelter to be installed on the pier.

The electricity for the charger would be supplied by the nearby Nova Innovation tidal array.

The application also includes an additional cable to be laid at the same time to “future proof for a potential connection” between the pier’s electricity supply and the tidal array.

Yell already has an electric vehicle charge point, but it is at the other end of the island at the Ulsta ferry terminal.

It comes after Shetland Islands Council recently secured funding to carry out a feasibility study to explore how the local network of electric vehicle charging points can be extended.

A proposal to erect a charging point at the back of Lerwick Town Hall has recently secured planning permission.

Nova Innovation, meanwhile, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to secure investment in the company.

The Edinburgh-based company, which launched the pioneering Shetland array in 2016, is looking to generate £500,000 to “fast-track tidal energy technology and accelerate growth across Europe and North America”.