The Orkney Islands north of Scotland have taken a different route. The archipelago is a rugged place. The winds roar here incessantly and the Atlantic breakers have created a craggy cliff coastline. Situated in the east of the main island of the Orkneys is the small town of Stromness. It’s here that an institution is based that’s unique in Europe: the EMEC, the European Marine Energy Centre. For over a decade, the potential of wave and tidal power stations has been investigated here on behalf of the European Union. A number of test plants have been installed off the coast: fascinating steel structures above and below the surface of the water.
Samsø in the Baltic is the energy paragon among Europe’s islands. At the end of the 1990s, the 4,000 inhabitants had already decided to take the matter of energy supplies into their own hands. Using wind turbines, straw-fuelled thermal power stations, and what are called ‘cows’ milk heat exchange...
It’s not only small islands, though, that have the chance of solving the crucial issue of energy for the future, as is shown by the example of Iceland. With its wealth of volcanoes and glaciers, the island has all the favorable preconditions you could ask for. There are now five large-scale...
