The Council of the Isles of Scilly has taken a step forward in its bid to develop energy and smart energy solutions for the Islands as part of its new ‘Smart Islands’ project. The ambition of the Authority is to protect and enhance the future of the islands through the utilisation of renewable energy platforms, and the creation of a technology platform to deliver scalable and replicable solutions for energy management.
A Prior Information Notice (PIN) has been published in the European Journal for the project seeking a Joint Venture Partner and setting out what the Authority hopes to achieve from the partnership.
The ‘Smart Island’ concept is based on the Authority’s vision of a fully sustainable island community developing and utilising renewable-energy technologies linked to energy distribution, smarter homes and telehealth.
The Joint Venture Partner will also be required to significantly contribute to sustainable social innovation, with the high level aims of the ‘Smart Island’ project being;
-
A 20% reduction in the average electricity bill across the islands in the first five years of the Joint Venture;
-
A 40% reduction in average electricity bills in the first ten years of the Joint Venture;
-
40%+ renewable energy on the islands within five years of the commencement of the of the Joint Venture;
-
Improved energy efficiency in hard to reach homes;
-
Electric vehicle charging points;
-
40% of Vehicles on the island to be electric;
-
Internships with the Joint Venture Partner for students from the Five Island School;
-
Delivery of cultural exchanges and language training (if the the Joint Venture Partner is a non UK based undertaking) for Five Island School students;
-
Science, technology, engineering, ICT, mathematics and design courses; and
-
A commercial arrangement capable of generating revenue from intellectual property created.
The PIN, as dispatched to the OJEU, can be found here.