Global tidal pioneer Nova Innovation welcomes the news that the island of Yell in Shetland and Islay (alongside Hoy, Great Cumbrae, Raasay and Barra) have been selected as two of six islands included in the Scottish Government's Carbon Neutral Islands (CNI) project.
The announcement made today by Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, will set Yell and Islay as two of Scotland's "net zero lighthouse communities" boosting awareness, knowledge and investment strategies to further assist them becoming net zero by 2040.
Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova Innovation said:
"We are delighted that both Yell and Islay have been included in this ground-breaking initiative from the Scottish Government. Shetland specifically is at the forefront of the green energy revolution, and we are proud to continue playing our part in decarbonising the Shetland Islands and Yell in particular."
Yell has superb tidal resource around both sides of the island precisely where Nova Innovation's existing projects are located, but, these leases only scratch the surface in terms of potential. The Carbon Neutral Island Project could be revolutionary in helping Yell realise its renewable resource potential.
Nova has well-established links with Yell having installed the world's first offshore tidal array in Bluemull Sound in 2016 powering local homes and businesses ever since. In Yell Sound, they were awarded an Options Agreement by Crown Estate Scotland to develop a 15MW tidal array, their largest tidal array to date, which will meet over a third of household electricity demand in Shetland.
"The wealth of natural resource and potential tidal power that can be harnessed around Yell and Islay is immense, so the CNI initiative and announcement today heralds a new chapter in their move towards net zero. The fact that the CNI project will have the views of the local community at its heart aligns with how we work with communities around our tidal arrays"
