A director of the Energy & Sustainability Centre Isle of Man (ESC) is leading a consortium bidding for €5million of European Commission funding to build a new form of energy storage designed specifically for island communities.

Dr Dave Quirk says that five international companies are involved in the project, as well as the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Aveiro University, Portugal, which are seeking backing from the Horizon Europe programme which supports initiatives related to the green transition.

Dr Quirk, who is a visiting scientist at DTU, said: 'Wind, solar and other sustainable forms of power have huge potential in many island communities, including the Isle of Man. But the missing piece of the jigsaw is how to store energy when it is generated, but not immediately required, in order to efficiently manage peaks and troughs in supply and demand.

'The consortium has developed a solution to that problem which we believe allows renewable energy to completely replace fossil fuel power stations.'

Technical details cannot be released until the results of the bid are known, but the initial scheme is planned for Streymoy on the Faroe Islands.

However, Dr Quirk and his fellow ESC directors believe that the same technology has the potential to help the Isle of Man meet its commitments on net zero emissions.

'It is remarkable how quickly the partners reached agreement on the bid,' added Dr Quirk.

'It serves as a good example of the drive the renewable energy industry has when there is consensus and the desire for progress.

'We will have to wait until September for the outcome of the grant application but, in any case, we have other options to move the project forward in 2024.'

ESC is an independent, not-for-profit Non Governmental Organisation supported by Zurich on the Isle of Man, KPMG and The Peel Group.