ORKNEY RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM

From the Chair

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Pete Tipler, OREF Chairman 2010 - 2011

First of all, thank you for taking the time to visit this website and for taking an interest in OREF. Whether or not you are a member, or if you have signed up to our mailing list or are just interested in the present and future renewable energy activities in Orkney, you are very welcome.

I would like to take this opportunity to raise a very quick, hypothetical glass to OREF which celebrated its 10th Birthday this year (take a look at our 2010 newsletter)!

BUT, we can't stop to celebrate for long as there is so much happening; it is safe to say that the world's focus on marine (wave and tidal) energy is firmly on these islands. Developers are ramping up activities off our shores and in our community; trying to forge the perfect path for commercially sucessful marine energy projects.

No doubt residents of Orkney have seen the number of wind turbines in the County increase rapidly over the last few years, and we're not at the end yet. What does the community feel about turbines in their back yard? How will we solve the grid connection issues which face both marine and wind energy projects? How can Orkney benefit from the attention and development here without relinquishing the environmental and historical qualities we all know and love?

If you've been reading the papers you would be forgiven for thinking that renewable energy is all about wind, wave and tide. Doubtless there are many questions to be answered here but by no means is that where OREF stops! Last year's Chair, Ken Ross, made great contributions in the sphere of Energy Efficiency, we had a talk from Orkney Zero Waste and viewings of films relating to sustainable living and climate change.

OREF is currently preparing a programme of talks including topics such as electric vehicles, sustainable housing, commercial energy projects and more. I would like to extend an open invitation to all interested individuals, groups and organisations to attend our forum sessions and actively participate in discussions and our brand new online discussion forum.

In fact, if you've got a topic you are particularly interested in get in touch (info@oref.co.uk) and we can work out how to build that into our schedule of talks and events for the coming year.

I'm looking forward to the year ahead - I think it is going to be one of the most exciting yet; there's SO much going on! I hope you'll join me in this excitement and I very much look forward to seeing you at one of our events, or discussing topics with you online in the very near future.

Thanks, and here's to 2011!

Pete Tipler
Chair