Energy

Explore Orkney's energy expertise.

These really are the islands of energy.

Orkney has been at the forefront of innovation in the energy sector for generations.

Orcadians were quick to realise the benefits of harnessing the elements, with wind energy used to power small domestic meal mills as far back as the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Barony Mill in the West Mainland is still operational today, using its huge water wheel and traditional methods to mill bere, and you can see old mill buildings throughout the islands.

The first grid-connected wind turbine in the UK was installed at Costa Head in 1951. Large scale experimental turbines were also tested in Orkney in the late 1980s, paving the way for the wind energy industry as we know it today.

Oil arrived in Orkney in the 1970s at the Flotta Oil Terminal, bringing investment and employment opportunities to the islands that continue to benefit local families and businesses to this day.

Nowadays, Orkney’s reputation for excellence and innovation places us at the centre of the renewable energy industry. More marine energy devices have been tested here than anywhere else in the world, and with moves into low carbon technologies, battery storage solutions and a huge uptake of electric vehicles and charging points, it’s not just the fertile farmland of these islands that will be green for years to come.

Find Orkney's energy sites

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Explore Orkney's energy sector with our links below.