Through 30 years after World War II, engineers deployed by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board built some 50 major dams across the region, and over 20,000 miles of power line, and brought electricity to the Highlands and Islands. The workforce had to cope with weather and geology to turn the vision into reality. Caithness author James Miller tells their story.
100 years ago Kirkwall got its first mains electricity when the Town Council bought a WWI generating station from the former Houton seaplane base. Bill Stevenson of Orkney Vintage Club tells the story of the power stations and the machinery within them, and Prof. Tom Stevenson of the Museum of Communication in Burntisland looks at the advances that made them possible.
Prof. Peter Marshall of Warwick University, born and raised in Orkney, looks into three crucial centuries that shaped the islands of today. And though Orkney itself, as he reflects in his new book Storm’s Edge, is often seen as remote from the mainstream, the remote places are where the force of the storm can best be seen.
It’s 28 years since we first brought Arcs & Sparks to Orkney and we’re delighted to be back! If you were there and remember our first shows, do come and say hello – and if you were there as a child, maybe you’ll even be bringing your own family this time! Volunteers most definitely welcome, as we create hair-raising experiences with our giant van de Graaff generator and dim the lights for dramatic displays of indoor lightning.
Thistle Wind Partners are working on plans for a floating wind farm 21 km east of Deerness, with construction starting around 2029. Project director Ian Taylor describes progress and the shape of the future.
Orkney’s role as an energy exporter has continued to develop, with oil joined today by wind, tide and wave developments. What can we expect over the next 5-10 years – and what infrastructure do we need to put in place to get the maximum benefits? Neil Kermode of EMEC and Gareth Davies of Aquatera give a perspective from the heart of the ongoing developments.
The 1974 Zetland and Orkney County Council Acts helped North Sea oil to come ashore by granting powers for local council control and setting up the reserve funds for the community. But how did the UK’s tiniest councils convince a busy Westminster to give them powers beyond any other UK local authority? Dr Tim Noble of Heriot-Watt University tells the story.
It’s known to ships and seafarers the world over. But when did it form? And how did its coast evolve, through ice, waves and storms? Edinburgh geomorphologist Dr Adrian Hall finds out at first hand, helped by Katy Firth of Stromness Museum and Mara Gibb from UHI in Caithness and Sutherland. Follow them in Selena S. Kuzman’s new film as they explore the shores of Hoy and Caithness, and on to Stroma. There's time for questions afterwards, and in the tea break.
