A to Z Index:

Energy

Forestry
Energy
Renewable Energy

Forestry

aboyne treesAlthough forest cover in the area is only just above the national average of 18%, some parts of Aberdeenshire have levels of tree cover of over 30% and the planting of improved genotypes has ensured that many of the forests enjoy above average rates of productivity, helping to support an estimated 700 direct jobs in the sector.

The Council is working in partnership with stakeholders to promote better forest management practice and to add value to sawmill co-products through developing markets for wood fuel.

Since 2007, over 5Megawatts of biomass boiler installations have been commissioned and two wood pellet production plants entered production in 2008, complementing a robust wood chip supply chain.

The Council sees wood fuel, particularly pellets, as being a key source of affordable heating in off gas areas and a major weapon in combating fuel poverty.

logsWork has started on initiatives to increase the market penetration of Scottish timber in the construction sector and the Council is also active in promoting the recreational and environmental benefits of woodlands.

Aberdeenshire is home to the country’s leading timber system manufacturers – timber framed houses now account for almost 50% of the new build market

Energy

Aberdeenshire is home to some key energy assets including St Fergus Gas Terminal, which processesPeterhead Power Station around 15% of the UK’s natural gas requirements, Peterhead Power Station, which has a production capacity approaching 1500Megawatts, Peterhead harbour, the North east’s leading deep sea port and at Westhill, what is widely understood to be the world’s largest concentration of sub sea engineering capability.

The area is also home to many leading energy related service companies specialising in everything from equipment design and manufacture to consultancies with high levels of intellectual property

Renewable Energy

With over 5Megawatts of biomass boilers in operation, a robust supply chain of wood chip producers and two wood pellet plants in production, Aberdeenshire is well placed to provide locally sourced renewable fuel for heating, which accounts for some 45% of Scotland’s primary energy demand.

wood pelletsWood pellets are seen as the optimal local solution for meeting domestic heating needs and their adoption is promoted by the Council in several ways.

A strong advocate of energy efficiency, Aberdeenshire Council promotes higher than national standards in building construction and thermal efficiency, recognising the importance of reducing demand through design as a starting point for all processes.

windfarmWith over 200Megawatts of onshore wind power consented and some 70Megawatts in production, the area is at the forefront of medium scale wind turbine developments.

Across Aberdeenshire there are some 600 old mill sites, many of which offer scope for small scale hydro electricity generation using infrastructure previously used to provide mechanical power. In addition there are several old turbine sites that have generated electricity in the past and have the potential to be recommissioned.

Archimedes ScrewAn excellent example is a site at Strathdon which employs a modern Archimedes screw to generate 70kW of renewable electricity, making use of infrastructure that has been in place for over 50 years

Satisfying the energy needs of the area will mean a mix of technologies and scales and the Council has set itself demanding targets for reducing its emissions, its dependence on finite resources and its overall demand for energy.

Contact

Renewable Energy Development Co-ordinator

Email: renewable.energy@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Further Information

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