Other energy provision options that were considered and deemed unsuitable or inadequate for Sark at this time.
Tidal Power
Tidal power is more expensive than wind and solar and the technology less established. Sark has a fantastic tidal resource and tidal power should be explored in future. If costs come down tidal power could be an option to supply Sark’s heating needs and increased electricity demand.
A cable from Guernsey
The cost of a cable from Guernsey was last estimated in 2015 at £6million, which is more than the estimated cost of replacing the generation system. Sark’s distribution system would still need to be substantially upgraded or replaced.
Solar and batteries on individual properties.
More solar and batteries on individual properties would not avoid the need for a new central power station and wind turbines are needed to meet night-time and winter demand. Sark’s distribution system would still need to be substantially upgraded or replaced.
Offshore Wind
Offshore wind turbines are a lot more complicated and expensive to install and maintain than onshore wind turbines and are much bigger than needed to meet Sark’s electricity needs.
Hydro Power
There are no rivers on Sark which could provide a useful amount of power.
Pumping seawater to storage lake to run hydro generator
A large lake would be required to store a useful amount of energy. Pump storage would be more expensive than batteries.
Anaerobic digestion and waste to energy
Could be looked at in future to provide supplementary power and help deal with island waste.