Background

The Isle of Cumbrae

The "Great Cumbrae" is located in southwestern part of Glasgow, lies on the Ayrshire coast and is roughly four miles long and two miles wide. It is under North Ayrshire Council, and Just a short ferry trip from Largs, Cumbrae is regarded as Scotland’s most accessible island. The population on the Isle of Cumbrae is around 1,400. There are over 1,300 dwellings, and about 30 percent of those are second homes. Normally, tourists tend to visit Cumbrae island during the summer period. Particularly, Millport is the main city in the island, and majority of the people lives there. It is a suitable place for water sport, and the majority of hotels and stores are in the city. In addition, tourists enjoy biking to get fresh air and experience beautiful sites around the island.

The Main Challenges at the Cumbrae

The Isle of Cumbrae doesn't have a gas connection from the mainland. Compared with some of the other islands in Scotland( eg:- Eigg, Gigha) the Cumbrae island has a higher density of population. The majority of the population depending on electricity for space heating and cooking. Therefore, electricity demand, as well as money spent for electricity at the Island is high. The electric network in Cumbrae is connected from the Bute Island via subsea cables. Another problem is these cables are unreliable, and sometimes caused power blackouts in past. Moreover, the greenhouse gas emission at Island is high because of the high usage of the central carbon grid. So, any reduction from the current greenhouse gas emission in Cumbae will also help Scotland target to achieve greenhouse gases emissions reduction. Also, as per the Scottish Islands Federation statistics and Millport Conservation Area Appraisal document (prepared by North Ayrshire council) the population as well as ecconomy is depleting compared with early years, and hence, it is necessary to boost the ecconomy.