News Article
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Evance turbine provides wind energy for Welsh science Laboratory
16th November 2011
Denbighshire-based H&D Fitzgerald Ltd. is calibration laboratory specialising in the measurement of density. The company is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, and has developed a long term green energy strategy encompassing a diverse range of renewable energy sources. In 2009, H&D began to look into the possibility of erecting a wind turbine on site.
Evaluation and Selection
A key decision in the H&D wind turbine project was the selection of the turbine. As a science-based company, H&D sought to base this decision on a detailed technical analysis of the available models in order to maximise potential economic and environmental benefits. The turbine would need to strike an optimal balance between efficient energy generation and unobtrusiveness, so as to provide a reasonable percentage of the constant base load of several kilowatts produced by the company's laboratory instruments, whilst at the same time remaining compliant with planning constraints in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Anemometer tests suggested an average wind speed at the site of the order of 6.2m/s, and the company's own power usage monitoring gave an estimated annual electricity consumption of 25MWh for laboratory lighting and instruments. Based on these assumptions, H&D chose to install a 5kW Evance R9000 turbine on a 12m tower. It was estimated that the annual yield from the turbine would be over 10MWh – a considerable proportion of the laboratory's electrical demand.
Further reasons for the selection of the R9000 included its full MCS certification, making it eligible for the Feed-in Tariff scheme, and the fact that it could be connected to a single phase mains relay.
Installation
The turbine was installed by Anglesey-based Dragon Power Services in October 2010. Due to the relative inaccessibility of the installation site, and the thinness of the top soil, it was decided to secure the tower with rock bolts sealed in epoxy resin rather than by laying a concrete base. This decision reduced both the cost and the environmental impact of the installation, obviating the need to make, transport and lay an estimated 12m3 or more of reinforced concrete.
Result
In its first year the turbine generated over 11.5MWh, exceeding its estimated generation for the year. Based on a Feed-in Tariff rate of 28p per kWh, this equates to a revenue of £3,220 per annum. However, factor in the resultant import saving of 11.5MWh at around 10p per kWh, and the real terms revenue value is nearer to £4,400 per annum.
The Evance R9000 turbine has become an integral part of H&D Fitzgerald Ltd's green energy strategy. Following its installation, the company has expanded its commitment to renewable energy and is now developing a self-sufficient heating system based on biomass and solar-thermal energy.