An innovative new project to boost local renewable energy generation on the Orkney Islands has been launched.

Project TraDER, which will be delivered by a consortium made up of Electron, Community Energy Scotland, CGI, EDF, Elexon, Energy Systems Catapult, Kaluza and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, seeks to address the issue that the UK’s energy system does not currently respond to changing weather and how this affects generation.

Project TraDER seeks to tackle this problem by creating a market for renewable energy producers to pay for increased capacity on the network when their assets are producing excess energy, removing a significant barrier to maximising renewable output and cleaning up the national energy mix.

Ultimately, the project hopes to inform how the UK can transition to a net zero energy system in a cost-effective manner for customers.

Andrew Roper, ED2 Director for SSEN said: “TraDER is an exciting and important project, on the journey to delivering a smarter electricity system that accommodates and maximises the benefits of low-carbon technologies.

“Orkney provides the perfect location: with around 10% of Orkney’s population already producing their own power, we have a well-informed, engaged community that TraDER is seeking to support.”