ORKNEY RESEARCH & INNOVATION CAMPUS
Its not a mad idea that Guernsey could host a research and development centre, a hub for renewables, sustainability, green finance and digital expertise. Because this is the kind of thing that’s going on a small archipelago of islands north of Scotland. A population of 21,349 people only (as at 2011), there’s a lot going on there.
A school has been refurbished and converted into a centre that houses private enterprise organisations, and two small universities. All of the activity is focussed on renewable energy, sustainability and marine science.
“It’s hoped the new campus will encourage collaboration between various organisations, companies and agencies, with the common aim of furthering crucial Orkney-based research and development work.”
The International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) is a specialist arm of the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt University which was founded in 1821 and was founded and based in Edinburgh. Their story is incredible. They have been forward-thinking educational innovators since that time, pursuing knowledge to benefit the world we live in. The University is now a global organisation.
Could Guernsey tie in the Orkney-based Heriot-Watt setup to a higher level educational system here? There’s a huge crossover of interests. Orkney is literally a thousand kilometres away as the crow flies, but not a thousand miles from our objectives as islands and renewable energy interests.
Seemingly uninteresting facts but important regarding renewable energy UK: Conveniently 16km from Scotland, Orkney is within the British Isles territorial waters and with Fair Isle 42km from Orkney and Shetland 37km from Fair Isle all the islands are essentially part of the UK. That makes the tidal and wind resources massive in this area with respect to UK energy capability.