Hammars Hill Energy Ltd
Wind Farm operator and developer.
International Centre for Island Technology (Heriot-Watt University Orkney)
Heriot Watt University Orkney is home to The International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) based in Stromness. Established in 1989, ICIT is an internationally distinctive education and research facility, providing research-led postgraduate programmes, in marine and environmental science, marine renewables, and renewable energy technologies, at the centre of a thriving cluster of energy and environmental-related businesses. Our research focuses on innovation in renewable energy, marine science and environmental resources. We are also home to the Transition Lab, an “action research” group which works with a range of research organisations, businesses, and community groups to move Scottish islands towards decarbonisation through the Islands Centre for Net Zero.
Leask Marine Ltd
Leask Marine provides vessel charter, commercial diving and marine construction services for the renewable energy sector, and delivers a range of proven capabilities to support tidal and wave energy projects and offshore wind farms from consultancy to survey, installation, ongoing maintenance and decommissioning.
Leask Marine’s experience and flexibility allows each client a turnkey solution for their devices, and with an unparalleled depth of expertise offers a complete supply chain solution throughout the full project life cycle.
Orcades Marine Management Consultants Ltd
Since its establishment in 2010 Orcades Marine has created a respected track record as an experienced and reliable innovative provider of marine project management, third party verification and consultancy services to the marine renewable energy sector, and the shipping and port industry. Its foundations are built on experts in the field of marine and port operations, risk management, marine engineering and innovative process and design, who have skills and experience crossing the spectrum from the project management of wave and tidal device installations, to vessel auditing, ship inspection, third party verification, marine warranty survey and vessel management, towing and auditing to Port Marine Safety, ISM and ISPS Code requirements. We have provided these services to a diverse range of clients who include many of the emergent developers in the wave and tidal renewable energy industry and also long established harbour authorities, traditional shipping companies and marine insurance institutions.
Orkney College UHI – Science, Agronomy and Maritime Departments
Science Department
Orkney College hosts UHI students taking a range of degrees, including the BSc Sustainable Development. The College contributes an Honours level module on sustainable energy to this programme. Students from both Orkney Secondary Schools can, as one of their options in 5th or 6th Year, attend the College to take a Level 5 course in Energy. As well as providing a general understanding of the energy industry, including renewables, and a closer look at the oil and gas industry, the course has a strong practical element in which teams of students scratch-build a working aerogenerator and a solar-thermal panel.
Agronomy Institute
The Agronomy Institute (AI) opened at Orkney College UHI in 2002 and is a market-led Research Centre within the University of the Highlands and Islands. The Institute provides a research facility for the development of plants and plant-based products – including energy crops -within UHI focussing particularly on the Highlands, Western Isles and the Northern Isles and runs major agronomy projects in Northern Scotland. These are in collaboration with a wide range of academic and commercial partners.
Maritime Studies Department
The Maritime Studies Department, on its own pier in Stromness, has been training seafarers for over 40 years. Many of our instructors are currently serving at sea as well as providing training at the department when on shore. This gives us a team who are right up to date, highly motivated and aware of modern training needs. As well as providing courses for the fishing and merchant-marine sectors we are developing training in the growing renewables industry. Our renewables programme aims to train not only mariners but also to address the health and safety needs of technicians and researchers.
Orkney Housing Association
Established in 1985, Orkney Housing Association (OHAL) is the only housing association operating within Orkney. It is a charitable not-for-profit organisation with a membership open to anyone interested in supporting its aims.
We currently manage almost 980 properties, of which 830 are for social rent. As storage heating is the main heating source for the majority of our homes, we have an ongoing programme to upgrade older storage heaters to high heat retention storage heaters to help meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). We have also used the Scottish Government’s Net Zero Heat Fund to install triple glazed windows and low U-value external doors in several developments across the Mainland and islands, along with loft insulation top-ups and immersion tank jacket installations to improve energy efficiency across older stock. This work will continue as funding allows ahead of the new Social Housing Net Zero Standard. Just over 300 properties built in the early part of this century have a mix of air-to-air, air-to-water, exhaust-air, and ground-source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water. However, we now install high heat retention storage heaters in our new-build properties. We also have a small number of properties with solar thermal and photovoltaic panels. In 2014 we completed a retrofit of the former boiler house for the Lynn Crescent district heating scheme to a certified Passivhaus.