Youngsters from Islay and Jura took to the beach to learn all about offshore renewable energy and built their own floating turbines to put their learning to the test.
The special education event at Bowmore was organised by ScottishPower Renewables’ MachairWind project team and Fugro, the company carrying out metocean, wind resource, geophysical and environmental surveys for the proposed windfarm.
The fun sessions included interactive discussions and games about wind turbine technology, as well as the chance to build and decommission a small OffshoreWind4Kids kit.
It also gave the young people, aged between five and 12, the chance to find out what is involved in bringing these projects to life as well as a taste of a future green career.
MachairWind will be developed in the waters north-west of Islay and west of Colonsay. With a proposed generating capacity of 2GW, it could produce enough clean, green electricity to power the equivalent of more than two million homes across the UK.
Deborah Bryce, MachairWind community engagement manager, said: “It was really wonderful to see the kids getting stuck in and having fun. They were fascinated about how wind turbines work and how the clean, green energy they produce gets from these impressive structures out in the water into their homes and powering their lives.
“Feedback from the parents and kids alike was overwhelmingly positive and it was a great way to engage with the local island communities as well as the potential green workforce of the future. A huge thank you to our colleagues from Fugro, MacTaggart Leisure Centre, Islay High School and everyone who took the time to come along and join in!”
Jonathan Ainley, global key account manager at Fugro said: “Supporting the communities we work in is important to us at Fugro. We’re grateful to partner with MachairWind to bring this initiative to children across Islay and Jura. Their great questions and enthusiasm for the energy transition was wonderful to see.”