Please spare a thought this morning - as you pop the kettle on, put some bread in the toaster and dither over whether to load the washing machine, do a spot of vacuuming, or soak in a hot bath - for the 87 residents of the very small Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides.
Because thanks to an energy shortage on what claims to be the 'world's greenest island', use of toasters, electric kettles, fat fryers, washing machines and 'pretty much anything with a heating element' that could drain Eigg's dwindling electricity supply is strictly rationed until further notice.
And down by the pier at the island's southern end, bright red notices flutter in the wind, warning that power levels are critically low.
'We're on red alert,' explains Maggie Fyffe, secretary of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. 'Which means we all have to rein in a bit.'
Which is the teeniest bit ironic. Because in January the residents of Eigg were being feted and praised for their amazing and innovative £1.6 million triple solar, wind and hydro-electricity-generating system which was switched on in February 2008 and has reduced carbon emissions by more than 30 per cent.
It was claimed to generate more than 95 per cent of the islanders' energy needs from renewable sources. Islanders were even awarded a prize of £300,000 in a nationwide competition for those who best tackle climate change.
Right now, however, their award-winning and highly complex eco-energy system, which allows each household access to a maximum of 5kW of energy at a time (enough to power a washing machine, a small heater or a kettle, but not all at once), is lying largely idle.
So the wind turbines are still and silent. The hydro turbines in the rivers and dams are quiet. And toasted teacakes and hot tea are off the menu at the Eigg Tearooms.
So what on earth's going on? Have the Eigg eco-innovators been victims of some act of jealous vandalism? Has their award- winning electricity system blown a fuse?
Er, no. It turns out that when the good people of Eigg put their faith in strong winds and pounding rain to provide all their electricity needs, they overlooked one possibility - a spell of lovely weather.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1291040/Will-eco-island-sink-green-dream.html#ixzz0sfEAX0o8
