Bluemull Sound is the strait between Unst and Yell in Shetland's North Isles. A ferry service crosses it regularly. Cullivoe is on the Yell side, and the island of Linga lies in the strait.
The Sound was referred to as "Blumel sound" in early 1800 nautical references[1][2] It was later referred to as Bluemull Sound in 1865.[3] It is unclear why there is such a discrepancy in the name.
Tidal power
editThe "world's first community-owned tidal power generator" became operational in Bluemull Sound in April 2014. The turbine is a 30 kW Nova Innovation device, owned by the North Yell Development Council[4] and was connected to the local grid by 1 km subsea cable; helping power an ice house and up to 30 local homes. It has since been decommissioned.
Nova Innovation installed a 100 kW tidal turbine that was grid connected in August 2016,[5] followed by two further turbines later that year. A fourth turbine was added in 2020, and two further turbines in January 2023 making it the largest number of turbines in a tidal-stream array.[6] However, the three oldest turbines were removed just months later at the end of the EnFAIT project[7] leaving the array at just 0.3 MW.
References
edit- ^ John Chandler (1809). The New Seaman's Guide, and Coaster's Companion: Containing, in Part I. Complete Sailing Directions ... Through the River Thames ... Part II. For the Northern Navigation ... Part III. A New and Accurate Table of Magnetic Bearings ... To which are Subjoined Copious Tables of Latitudes and Longitudes ... Also New Tables of the Sun's Declination, from 1809 to 1824. P. Mason. pp. 274–.
- ^ The Quarterly journal of science, literature and art. 1822. pp. 212–.
- ^ Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History. J. Van Voorst. 1 January 1865.
- ^ North Yell Development Council (5 August 2015). "Bluemull Sound Tidal Project". Archived from the original on 5 August 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "World first for Shetlands in tidal power breakthrough". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Shetland Tidal Array becomes world leader". ReNEWS. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Nova looking to decommission older tidal turbines". Shetland News. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
60°41′01″N 00°59′12″W / 60.68361°N 0.98667°W
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