Paul Wheelhouse, MSP, visits ALIenergy at European Marine Science Park
ALIenergy was delighted to host a visit by Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands.
ALIenergy Manager Lynda Mitchell, Business Development Officer Carole Shellcock, and Affordable Warmth Advisor Jenny McLeish kicked off with a presentation showcasing some of ALIenergy’s award winning projects. These include the pioneering ENBIO (Energy and the Bioeconomy) project with partner Xanthella Ltd developing the innovative use of intermittent, locally owned renewable energy generation to produce algal products for use as superfoods or in the aquaculture industry.
ALIenergy operates a team of five Affordable Warmth Advisors operating across the whole of Argyll and Bute, who are available for home visits to assist anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills. ‘Fuel poverty is a huge problem in rural Scotland’, said Lynda Mitchell, Manager at ALIenergy. ‘It affects over 40% of households in Argyll and Bute, where we face multiple challenges including poorly insulated housing, bad weather, low income and elderly households, and lack of mains gas across the majority of the area leading to more expensive heating systems’. The group then went on to discuss the various challenges of funding and operating these activities in our rural and island communities with the minister.