Alderney looking to use wind power to offset electricity cost
WIND turbines could be installed in Alderney as a short-term solution to rising electricity bills.
It would be the first installation of its kind in the Channel Islands.
The island is currently reliant on fossil fuels for its energy supply, meaning costs are higher.
Policy & Finance chairman Bill Abel said wind power would provide significant benefits for the island, including a reduction in household bills.
The proposed medium-sized turbines would need to be located away from housing and the visual and environmental impact of their construction would be assessed with close consultancy with the community.
In the medium-term, solar panels for houses and ground or air heat pumps would be considered to offset the use of heating oil.
Hydrogen or tidal power could be introduced longer-term, but the costs of installing it currently outweigh the financial benefits. The Energy Group will be monitoring any developments in tidal energy, particularly projects on the French side of the Alderney Race.
‘A hybrid mix of power supply and storage technologies would be needed to meet the island’s objectives of minimising the cost of energy, reducing or mitigating energy supply risks, and minimising or eliminating the use of carbon-emitting energy sources,’ said Mr Abel.
Alderney’s government recently put a price cap on electricity of 50p per unit amid steep rises in fuel costs as a result of the war in Ukraine.
