Proven hits 2,000th wind turbine installation milestone
Tuesday 03 March 2009
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| Proven Energy said that its 2,000th turbine installation marked a "significant achievement" |
Small-wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy reached a milestone yesterday as it installed its 2,000th wind turbine at a secondary school in north Norfolk.
The 6kW turbine was installed by Lincolnshire-based Gladwood (BCS) at Sheringham High School during the February half term.
Following the fundraising efforts of the school's student and staff-led ‘Eco Team', the turbine was officially switched on yesterday by local Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Lamb.
Andrew McMullan, chief executive of Kilbride-based Proven Energy said: "This represents a milestone for Proven Energy and it's fitting that it is an educational installation. Proven Energy has always believed that by promoting renewable energy in learning facilities we can help model the thinking of the next generation."
Situated at the front of the school, the Proven 6 turbine is expected to generate over 9,900kWh a year, which is around 3% of the school's electricity consumption.
George Phillips, a member of the Eco Team, calculated that the average daily capacity of 27kWh should provide enough energy to run nearly half of the school's computers, saying: "We've learnt a lot about the challenges of global warming in our lessons and it's really good to think that we will be producing our own renewable energy."
Funding
Both the National Lottery and the government contributed to the installation at Sheringham High School.
By promoting renewable energy in learning facilities we can help model the thinking of the next generation
The school successfully applied to the Department of Energy and Climate change for a grant under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2, a scheme that is scheduled to expire in June this year.
And Proven confirmed that the national lottery groups Awards for All and the Community Sustainable Energy Programme, managed by the British Research Establishment (BRE), donated funds for the turbine.
Sheringham High School's headteacher, Tim Roderick, said: "Students and staff in the Eco Team have worked very hard to raise the funds to get the wind turbine built. Global warming and rising sea levels threaten future generations in particular, and it's wonderful that our students have been in the forefront of such an initiative."
He added: "They have shown that all of us can do something now to move our energy production away from the burning of fossil fuels."
Last year Proven Energy said that it was hoping for a 40p feed-in tariff rate for micro generation technologies (see this New Energy Focus story).
Established 28 years ago in Scotland, Proven now has offices in Kilbride, India and the USA.
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