Ardnamurchan was chosen as the ideal site for the planned ASLEE demonstrator array due to be built in 2017. The area is located on the most westerly peninsula of the Scottish mainland and is remote, rural, and sparsely populated. The estate has a track record of innovation taking advantage of technology: existing renewable energy sources include wind, hydro, wave and biomass. However, further renewable energy developments are severely limited by grid constraints, despite huge potential from the area’s abundant wind, water and forestry. The ASLEE project aims to help unlock some of that potential by demonstrating the viability of a manufacturing process which takes advantage of an intermittent power supply – using it as a transactive load for demand side management and grid balancing – thereby enabling more green energy to be generated and used in the local area.
Recently the wild scenery of the area has reached the public eye in the popular Channel 4 ‘Eden’ reality TV show, which is filmed in an inaccessible corner of the peninsula, featuring a community of 23 volunteers – completely cut off from the outside world.