‘Switch to renewables up to the community’ - Alderney Electricity

The island is looking to become the first in the Channel Islands to use wind turbines with a purpose-built solar array.

At the moment the island is 100% reliant on imported diesel but has ambitious plans, unveiled late last year, to provide at least a third of the island’s power from renewable technology by May 2026.

‘Ultimately, the switch to renewables is up to the community. We’ll be putting it to them in February,’ said Alderney Electricity managing director James Lancaster.

‘If successful, that gives us one year to plan, one year to build, and six months’ grace.’

The most controversial part of the plan will be placing three 60m-high turbines at Fort Albert. Notoriously the windiest spot on Alderney, gusts of over 100mph were recorded during Storm Ciaran at the company’s weather station, put in to monitor the potential of the site.

‘Are we looking at renewables to save the planet? In some ways, yes. But it’s more about the supply chain for an isolated community,’ said Mr Lancaster.

‘Ukraine has made everyone think about energy independence, the realisation that getting your power from fossil fuels or a cable from France wasn’t completely secure.’

Mr Lancaster is set to visit the island of Gigha in the Hebrides, a community that has already embraced onshore wind turbines.

By the beginning of the 21st century the population of the island, similar in size to Alderney, had fallen from 700 to 98 and it was put up for sale. After a ‘community buy-out’, locals needed a source of income and bought three second-hand wind turbines and started selling the energy back to the grid.

‘Over the last 20 years the island has gone from failing to one which has a Michelin star restaurant. They don’t see the wind turbines as monstrosities – they call them the dancing ladies.’

The company has looked at 15 potential sites for a solar array and believes it has found ‘the perfect site’ in a natural dip at La Corvee, to the south of St Anne’s.

If planning is granted the 10-acre site would be initially fitted with 2,000 panels. The field cannot be seen from the edge of town or from the coastal path, and backs on to an industrial area.

‘The landowners are on board and it can be used for “agrivoltaics” which means animals can still graze around the panels,’ said Mr Lancaster.

‘Our main worry was airport navigation but glint and glare reports have said it won’t be an issue.’

Alderney President William Tate said the island was fortunate to have Mr Lancaster’s expertise.

‘His vision for the future is one that should excite all of us,’ he said.

‘I think the general sense within the community would be that anything we can do to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels, which will become a greater challenge in time, we would welcome, both from an environmental perspective and for our day-to-day lives.’

Mr Tate was looking forward to seeing the community feedback from the consultation. ‘But if it’s going to put us in a better place, in terms of long-term security, then that can’t be seen as a negative.

‘I think the issues would be around the siting of wind turbines and solar panels which would have to be done incredibly sensitively. It’s all about the journey for the community, in partnership with the provider.’

• Read a full feature on Alderney Electricity in Wednesday’s Press