RSPB installs 15kW wind turbine in nature reserve
Tuesday 21 April 2009
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| The RSPB is hoping that the installation of this 15kW turbine will help make its visitor centre carbon neutral |
The RSPB has installed a 15kW wind turbine in one of its nature reserves, in a bid to make its visitor centre completely carbon neutral.
The Society, which recently came out in support for strategic wind power development (see this New Energy Focus), commissioned Buckinghamshire-based Ardenham Energy to carry out the installation at its Rainham Marshes nature reserve near Purfleet, Essex.
The 15kW Proven ground mounted grid-connected turbine completed commissioning two weeks ago and is expected to make the site's new BREEAM excellence-rated visitor centre completely self-sufficient.
Nick Bruce-White, the manager at Rainham Marshes nature reserve, said: "The RSPB is often quite vocal in its opposition to wind turbines, and so we have this reputation for hating wind turbines, but really we are behind them as long as they are in the right place. This is a really nice example of how a turbine can be sited in the right place, with hardly any visual impact, or any impact on wildlife at all."
He added that the RSPB is very pleased with the installation, saying: "The RSPB has been lobbying very hard for renewables and sustainability, as climate change is really our biggest issue in policy terms. So we are very pleased; and with the solar PV on the roof, we're predicting that the visitor centre will eventually be carbon neutral."
Installation
Ardenham Energy, which obtained planning permission for the project from the London Borough of Havering, said that the site will benefit from a good wind regime.
Hopefully this kind of project will help planning authorities look more favourably towards small scale wind in future planning reviews
The turbine is the latest addition to the site's green portfolio, joining roof-mounted solar PV, ground source heat pump and other energy efficiency measures to make visitor centre a zero carbon site.
James Hoare, managing director at Ardenham Energy, said: "We were delighted to have been awarded this high profile and important installation project by the RSPB, which confirms the support by the RSPB for responsibly located wind turbines as a method of clean electricity production that will help combat climate change.
"Hopefully this kind of project will help planning authorities look more favourably towards small scale wind in future planning reviews," he added.
The company, which has its offices in Aylesbury, carried out the works in two stages. First, the groundwork and cable routes were prepared along with a bespoke brick building, constructed to house the power control equipment. Then, the firm carried out turbine and electrical installation over two days.
Workers installed the turbine on a 15 metre tower with three 6kW inverters, a Proven rectifier and control unit.
The following week the wind turbine system was witness tested as operationally acceptable by local distributors EDF Energy in order to obtain a grid connection.
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