ISLE OF EIGG
About 15 miles off the west coast of Scotland, a pitchstone wall rises out of the sea. Ringed with cliffs and topped by a formidable peak called the Sgurr, the island of Eigg isn't so much exposed to the elements here as it is square in the middle of them. Throw a pebble over the Atlantic edge and the southwesterly gales might fling it right back.
To the hundred residents of this windblown rock, the weather is ideal.
Through a combination of wind, water, and solar power, Eigg has become one of the world's first island communities to implement a completely renewable power grid. In order to keep things running smoothly, extreme weather is a must.
The island's only outside reliance is on the once-a-week delivery of the few supplies they can't produce themselves. These arrive via ferry that departs from the mainland port of Mallaig.
