Fair Isle (from Old Norse Frjóey; Scottish Gaelic Fara) is an island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.
Since 1982, two thirds of the community's power has been supplied by wind turbines, and a third by diesel generators. The island has two electrical networks. Standard electricity service is provided on one network, and electric heating is delivered by a second set of cables. The electrical heating is mostly provided by excess electricity from the two wind turbines. Remote frequency-sensitive programmable relays control water heaters and storage heaters in the buildings of the community.
As Fair Isle is not connected to the national grid, electricity is provided by the Fair Isle Electricity Company. Power is generated by two diesel generators and two wind turbines. Diesel generators are automatically switched off if wind turbines provide sufficient power. Excess capacity is distributed through a separate network for home heating or if not enough energy can be dissipated through this, a dump load
Fair Isle Airport (IATA: FIE, ICAO: EGEF), is a small airport located on Fair Isle between Orkney and Shetland.
Fair Isle Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P610) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (The National Trust For Scotland). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
