ALI energy combats global issue in Argyll

A SMALL Oban-based organisation and member of a network of energy agencies across Europe is doing its bit to ensure all households in Argyll and Bute have access to affordable energy and are not vulnerable to fuel debt.

Established in 1999 by Argyll and Bute Council under the EU ‘SAVE’ programme, ALIenergy (Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency) is dedicated to changing the way energy is used in the region and beyond, and does so by improving public knowledge of, and engagement in, renewable energy and energy efficiency issues and combating fuel poverty.

The aim is that more people take action in their lives to increase energy saving and support renewable energy, so that all households have access to affordable energy and are not vulnerable to fuel debt.

Supporting the local community is a key focus for ALIenergy. It delivers a wide variety of activities that demonstrate this, including support to community renewable energy projects, facilitation of and support for local and regional supply chains, support of local skills development, area-based energy efficiency installation schemes for national and local government, and energy education in schools and communities. Although the work of this organisation covers the county of Argyll and the isles of Bute and Arran, it is combating a global issue. Energy efficiency and energy awareness will mitigate the global climate change, which many predict will lead to massive disruption of the world’s populations.

ALIenergy is a member of the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), a centre composed of specialists in the industrial biotechnology (IB) sector to help stimulate the growth and success of the IB industry in Scotland.

IBioIC plays a key role in delivering Scotland’s National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology, for which the mission is to grow IB-related turnover in Scotland to £900 million by 2025. As such, ALIenergy has huge potential to drive the Scottish IB industry forward.