A team from Eigg Electric Ltd (EEL) went on a Community Learning Exchange trip to visit Knoydart Renewables on the 14th August 2024. The Knoydart folk were very welcoming and gave great tours and insights into their hydro system. There was huge learning shared between the two off grid communities.
The Community Learning Exchange visit kick started with an introduction to Knoydart Renewables & their Energy System. This was followed by very informative site visits to both the Knoydart hydropower system and the village substation, Millburn Field and observing the transformer data collection.
After a lovely homemade lunch provided by the Knoydart Team, the afternoon session kicked off with an introduction to Eigg Electric Ltd and the Eigg unique microgrid of wind, sun and hydro. Eigg Electric gave a run-down of the opportunities and challenges to the Eigg system. This was followed by open discussions on the similarities and differences between Knoydart and Eigg. It led to a vibrant and stimulating discussion on unique set of circumstances in both communities and how these are managed.
Community Energy Scotland gave a presentation of their island energy work which was very insightful. Both the Carbon Neutral Islands website and CNI handbook have resources available to all communities in Scotland which provide guidance for their decarbonisation journey.
The afternoon’s session continued with 3 break out groups based on subject matter and areas of responsibility. The companies directors covered topics such as governance, roles and responsibilities, price setting and financial management, H&S and areas for potential collaboration. The maintenance teams group reviewed maintenance schedules / training; faults and common issues; recruitment & training of new team members and the potential for shared resources/training. A third group of all the other stakeholders present (Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, Eigg Forestry, Knoydart Forest Trust, Community Energy Scotland, Carbon Neutral Islands, South Knoydart Community Council, Energy Mutual, StorTerra) discussed opportunities for synergies; challenges that remote locations bring; and funding initiatives.
The groups all returned together to exchange a summary of the breakout groups which highlighted:
- Learnings on the sustainable management of isolated micro-grid energy systems
- Opportunities around training programs for operations teams, sharing resourcing and knowledge
- Importance of retaining essential skills within remote communities
- Overcoming challenges around specialist equipment and system nuances
- Potential for funding collaboration and supports
The community exchange visit showcased exciting opportunities for future collaboration between Eigg Electric, Knoydart Renewables and their broader communities, highlighting the potential advantages of a wider micro-grid support network – the benefits of which would go beyond these 2 remote communities.
Eigg Electric is hoping to maintain the connections made so that the two companies can be a support network for each other as we continue on our net zero journeys.