July 13, 2002

It may be hard to believe that a small island off the coast of Scotland is the world's energy trendsetter. Yet for the last ten years the Isle of Islay, part of the Inner Hebrides, has been home to a 75-kilowatt Limpet (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) prototype. This "green energy" device generates power from the energy in ocean waves as they pound the shoreline (Wavegen).

In November 2000, a Limpet 500, capable of generating 500 kilowatts, was inaugurated on Islay. It became the first commercial wave power generator, and it feeds its renewable energy into the national power grid (click here to enlarge map).

On May 15, 2002, the Scottish Fuel Cell Consortium (SFCC) announced plans to use the energy from the wave power station to drive a hydrolyzing machine to produce commercial hydrogen for fuel cells. These fuel cells would then be distributed to islanders for use in everything from industry, vehicles, and public buildings to a crofter's cottage. The continuously regenerating batteries produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a catalyst, leaving water as the only "emission."

Robin Currie, a local councilor and a board member of the Islay Development Company (IDC), stated: "This initiative ... fits in with the work of the IDC on electric cars and buses and our plan for photovoltaic cells in our new Gaelic school" (The Herald).

According to the Herald, Professor Sinclair Gair of Napier University, Edinburgh, and one of the SFCC's leading figures, said that there is a very real possibility of Islay's becoming the ultimate "green-powered" island. "We know we can convert vehicles to use hydrogen fuel cells, " Gail reportedly said. "The next move is to power a public building."

The World Energy Council says that the oceans can supply more than two times the energy the world currently consumes (Riverdeep Current). Yet, until the September 11 terrorist attacks there was little interest in hydrogen fuel cell technology in the United States. Car manufacturers are now investing funds to develop hydrogen vehicles to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Perhaps "green energy's" time has come.

For more information, see

Wavegen
How It Works: Wave Power Station
Riverdeep Current