In 2008, after decades of using diesel generators, the people of the Scottish Isle of Eigg, having no mainland electricity connection, decided to create their own renewable electricity. Today, the community fulfills almost 90 percent of their energy needs from a combination of wind, water and sun.
The island of just 85 residents has transitioned from having no grid in 2008 to now making energy available to everybody. In 1997, Eigg became the first island in Scottish history to be bought by its inhabitants, and now it dreams of being the first island in the world powered solely by renewable energy.
“It varies from year to year depending on weather conditions, but we are getting between 85 and 90 percent of our energy from renewables,” Maggie Fyffe, secretary of the Eigg Heritage Trust, told Al Jazeera.
“There are miles and miles of underground cable connecting every house to the grid.”
Follow their progress on islandsgoinggreen.org.
(WATCH the video below, or READ story from EcoWatch)