Tiree Community Wind Turbine

The island of Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, benefits from a community-owned wind turbine situated close to the B8096 road, a half-mile (1 km) northeast of Ruaig, in the east of the island. The solitary 900 kW turbine, known affectionately as Tilley, was officially commissioned on 24th April 2010. The wind turbine has a tower height of 49m (160 feet) which, with a blade length of 26m (85 feet), gives a total height of 75m (246 feet).

Site selection was difficult, with the need to maximise wind but avoid environmentally-sensitive areas, bird communities, the approaches to Tiree Airport and be sufficiently distant from the air-traffic control radar on Carnan Mor.

The turbine was developed and is operated by Tiree Renewable Energy Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tiree Community Development Trust. The project cost £1.93 million, with £712,000 coming as a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. It is expected to generate revenues of around £100,000 per annum, which will directly benefit the community. Within months of its installation, it was clear the turbine was proving to be a great financial success.


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