Energy systems key to countryside survival

Natural Energy director predicts energy will be the ‘life blood of rural economies’

Smart and community energy systems could save rural communities from economic oblivion, according to one consultancy.

Speaking at the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) conference, organised by Local Energy Scotland, the director of Natural Energy, Jeremy Sainsbury told delegates “electricity is the future to economic activity in rural areas”.

“It will be the life blood of rural economies, as well as main cities,” he added. “There is a massive opportunity to stop rural depopulation.”

“How many times have we heard ‘we’re not on the gas network on the West coast of Scotland’, but if we plan this energy revolution properly, we will be on the electrical network and we will have access to everything that people in the cities have, to make sure young people have opportunities in rural areas.”

He added the energy revolution will also herald in an age of “consumer power”.

“The big six model as it exists at the moment is gradually changing,” declared Sainsbury. “In the future, you are much more likely to be courted by a car manufacturer, who says ‘if you buy my car, I’ll give you a battery and you can use that to power your house during the night’. It will be part of your lease, but they will want access to some of the information from your house as a result.

“Consumer power will lead to disruption in a number of areas. That should be good for the consumer and less power for the large utility type structures we’ve been used to in the past.”

“Local authorities have to pick this up from the Scottish Government and they have to develop energy strategies for their areas, outside of the five-year cycles of local government. They need to start to think of proper strategies for how they are going to encourage economic activity in their areas,” he added.