What happens when it’s not windy?

Wind is an intermittent renewable resource which means it is reliant on weather which we cannot control; it is therefore not considered ‘firm’ i.e. always available. The Isle of Man’s high levels of security of supply arises because we have three independent firm sources of generation which can independently meet demand on Island whenever necessary. At the moment, the sources that we rely on include the existing interconnector, the gas fired power station at Pulrose and the diesel engines we have at Pulrose and Peel.

After 2030, except in an emergency, we will no longer be able to use our fossil fuel generators for normal operation to deliver ‘firm’ generation, so we are considering technologies such as a new additional interconnector to Great Britain (GB) and new carbon neutral, on demand generators which will continue to provide the same high level of security of supply. When it is windy, we will always use the wind turbines to generate power, providing there are no additional operational issues.

In addition to our onshore windfarm, Manx Utilities is also exploring several other renewable projects including solar and renewable on demand generators. By 2030, we aim to have the capacity to generate enough power to meet all Island demand from these sources at any time, though we will also be able to import low carbon electricity from Great Britain if the GB wholesale cost is lower than what we can deliver on Island at any given half hour.