Green model worth emulating

Published on Friday 8 February 2008 21:30

ONCE it was 1,800 acres of sheep grazing and a grouse moor. Now Cringate Law and Hart Hill, six miles north-east of the village of Fintry, is Scotland's latest wind farm pumping electricity into the national grid. But there is a difference with this development – one of the wind turbines is owned by the people of Fintry collectively, and the cash earned from selling the electricity thus generated will go directly to funding energy-saving projects in the village.

This bold initiative is proof that greening Scotland, fighting climate change and protecting community interests are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, they can be mutually reinforcing. The developers and people of Fintry are to be congratulated for their novel approach – it is a model that should be emulated elsewhere.

The Fintry project is not the only example of harnessing renewable energy to local interests. Another exciting recent development is the Wick District Heating Scheme which uses waste heat from Old Pulteney's new biomass-fuelled distillery to warm local homes. The lesson here is that renewable projects should not be designed merely to service big export markets: micro and local generation projects are equally important.

We are learning – finally – to be innovative in the field of renewable energy. It could give Scotland the competitive economic advantage it needs to prosper.