Northern Isles New Energy Solutions (NINES)
The NINES project aims to support Shetland’s sustainable energy future by developing and managing the electricity distribution network more effectively, to allow renewable energy to play a bigger part in meeting Shetland’s energy needs. The project is being developed by SSE in association with a range of local stakeholders, including Shetland Islands Council, Hjaltland Housing Association and Shetland Heat Energy and Power.
Key objectives of the project are to:
- replace old inefficient storage and water heaters in 1,000 homes with modern 'smart' storage heaters which help to balance the electricity network
- add a new electric boiler to the existing district heating system, which will be associated with the proposed medium-scale Gremista wind farm
- deploy new technology on the network that will allow more small scale renewable generators to connect to the network
- introduce new commercial arrangements to encourage businesses to change the times at which they use most energy
- install a 1MW battery, part-funded by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, at Lerwick Power Station
NINES will help with the planning and development of energy infrastructures in the Northern Isles.