Looking ahead
Ian Mays and Douglas Wright of Renewable Energy Systems give their perspectives on the past and the future
An engineer by training and holder of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal, Ian Mays, CEO of Renewable Energy Systems (RES), has been at the hub of the wind industry from its early days of R&D to today’s mainstream position. A pioneer of the technology in the 1970s, Mays managed the development of vertical axis wind turbines for Sir Robert McAlpine, RES’s parent company, in the 1980s. Renewable energy had been boosted by the energy crisis but remained at research stage in the UK until the introduction of the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation in 1989, which enabled RES to build its first commercial wind farm - Carland Cross in Cornwall - in 1992.
Sixteen years later, companies within the RES Group have built more than 2,700MW of wind energy worldwide and offer a portfolio of renewable energy technologies, including biomass, ground source energy and solar PV and thermal. “There is huge potential for generation, heating and cooling from these. The technologies are well-advanced, widely-used across Europe and make good economic sense. They will play a significant role in meeting the EU 20 per cent by 2020 target - and beyond - but more Government support is needed to allow them to reach their full potential,” explains Mays. Reducing demand through low-energy design in the built environment is also a priority in any sustainable energy strategy. The latest addition to the RES Group, Inbuilt, is already playing a leading role in the sector.
As past Chair of the BWEA, past President of EWEA, and still closely involved in these and the Global Wind Energy Council, Mays has sought to influence policy and ensure the industry as a whole is in good commercial shape to compete with the conventional energy sector. But the twin drivers of maintaining security of supply and reducing CO2 emissions are now stronger than ever. “We face threats to our energy security as the availability of fuel resources lessens and energy demand soars. Official figures for oil and gas are over-estimated. Oil supply is likely to peak in the next five years and gas in 2030. Consequently, the world faces a shortfall between supply and demand that could become apparent soon after 2010. At the same time, the threat from global warming cannot be over-estimated. CO2 concentrations have never been higher and temperatures are predicted to rise substantially by the end of the century, with potentially devastating consequences,” explains Mays. “These are the twin challenges driving the development of renewables. Investment to boost wind, biomass, solar, geothermal, wave and tidal power, plus political will to provide market stability and to overcome existing obstacles, are all critical.”
But as conventional energy prices rise, renewables look increasingly competitive and support mechanisms in markets around the world are helping attract investment. According to EWEA, 12 per cent of wind energy would create 368,000 new jobs over 13 years, increase energy independence, generate wealth and result in a saving of 330 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. By 2010, this would be equivalent to one third of the EU’s Kyoto target. “To keep the lights on and meet the climate targets scientists recommend, we need much faster action,” says Mays. “Wind power can go in the ground now and play an important role in the short-term. But what we need from governments everywhere is that long-term strategic plan, leadership and a roadmap for sustainability in the energy sector that will drive investment and bring the public with us as we forge ahead.”
RES is an independent British company with a strong engineering heritage, a visionary approach and an understanding of the market that has made it a leading international developer, offering a range of technologies and with an enviable track record in project delivery. Over the last 30 years it has kept pace with the growth of the industry. Now embarking on large-scale biomass in northern Europe and solar PV and CSP in the Mediterranean region and North America, the next 30 years are looking equally bright.
Free range
Alistair Welch visits the base of a leading renewable energy company and finds that the offices embody its drive towards a zero-carbon future
It is impossible to miss the Beaufort Court headquarters of Renewable Energy Systems (RES). Leaving junction 20 of the M25, the company’s pioneering low-carbon office announces its presence with a wind turbine that dominates the local skyline. Occupying what was formerly the laying house of the Ovaltine Egg Farm, the aim of the Hertfordshire site is to be entirely energy self-sufficient; generating all its heat and power from the wind turbine, solar panels, and a biomass crop.
So, how did the move from eggs to energy occur? For the majority of the 20th century the site had been home to the Ovaltine Egg Farm, which at its peak housed a laying flock of around 50,000 birds spread over 460 acres. The building that RES now occupies was originally the rearing house for chicks.
The unique horse-shoe curve of the edifice was in itself an energy efficient design, as the shape meant that little artificial heat was required within the house and ventilation and cleanliness were maximised. However, once chicken rearing ceased at the farm, the site lay derelict for a number of years until it was purchased by RES in 2000; construction began the year after and the first staff members moved into the transformed premises in November 2003.
The hens may now have gone, but the original arts-and-crafts facade and the commitment to innovative efficiency remain. Despite leaving the external structure of the horse-shoe in tact, the interior of the building was extensively modified. The ground floor was lowered and extended inwards into the courtyard to increase the working space and turf was planted on the roof to provide an attractive contribution to the office’s insulation.
In addition, an entirely new building was constructed in order to provide storage for the harvested biomass crop that is produced at Beaufort Court. Built partially underground to minimise the impact on the landscape, the store has an inward-facing sloping roof that supports the site’s large bank of solar panels.
Beaufort Court’s solar array includes 54m2 of hybrid photo-voltaic/thermal (PVT) panels and 116m2 of solar thermal panels. The PVT panels capture the sun’s energy and are able to transform it into both electricity and hot water, whilst the thermal panels are used exclusively for heating. The hot water produced can directly heat the office buildings or be maintained in the heat store for use at a later date. This underground heat store constitutes a 1,400m3 body of water that is able to store the excess heat generated by the solar panels, for use in colder months when the demand is increased.
Symbol
Undoubtedly, though, Beaufort Court’s most recognisable feature is its wind turbine. It was erected in September 2003 and, despite concerns about local disapproval, it soon became a cherished symbol of the surrounding area. The turbine is unobtrusive and almost completely noiseless; indeed, its only noticeable impact was the slowing of traffic on the nearby M25 as motorists decelerated to rubberneck the 36m high structure when it was first erected.
The turbine, connected to the office buildings’ electrical distribution network and the National Grid, is a 50m high 223kW model and in 2007 generated 193MWh.
Aside from the wind turbine and solar panels, five of the seven hectares of RES’s site is used for the cultivation of their biomass crop. Miscanthus, more commonly known as ‘Elephant Grass’, is harvested annually in late winter and converted into pellets, a form of fuel considerably easier to use in many biomass boilers than the shredded plant. Biomass is able to offer a carbon neutral method of heating the working environment because the CO2 released when it is burned is compensated for by the reabsorption of the gas by the growing plants. Although the current planting is not yet fully established, this year’s yield should provide sufficient material for around 100MWh of heat generation. At full yield, the annual amount of energy produced by the biomass crop could be as much as 160MWh, which would represent a saving of 225 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. RES has recently established a network of wood chip and pellet suppliers across the UK to ensure a secure fuel supply for those installing biomass boilers.
Agreement
As it stands, RES’s headquarters are not entirely zero-carbon. Although this is the ultimate aim, currently Beaufort Court occasionally needs to take energy from the National Grid; however, any excess generated by the site at times of over-production is returned to the grid in a reciprocal agreement. Additionally, this groundbreaking development has also provided invaluable information and lessons for others seeking the low-carbon building option.
Walking around the impressive premises with RES’s communications manager Anna Stanford, she explains that Beaufort Court was not merely a fashionable attempt to appear environmentally friendly or “green wash,” as she called it, but that RES were totally committed to the goal of developing low-carbon working environments that are comfortable and sustainable and that might provide a model for the way that office spaces are devised and powered in the future.
Stanford stressed how every design detail had been considered and adapted in order to reach the most energy efficient solution. For example, office windows facing the motorway need to be reinforced and cannot be opened due to the persistent traffic noise. However, to prevent these rooms becoming uncomfortably warm, box trees have been planted outside the windows to provide natural shading, thus reducing the pressure on the air-conditioning system.
Indeed, even the air-con is designed to be low-carbon, as it uses naturally available underground water to cool the buildings during the summer. Water is extracted at a constant 12°C from a 75m deep borehole and is then used to cool and dehumidify the incoming air to the buildings, before being circulated in chilled beams in the offices at 15°C and finally pumped out to irrigate the energy crop.
Resource
Beaufort Court is far more than just an office though. RES promote the site as an educational resource to inform students, the public and industry professionals about how renewable energy systems can be incorporated into a working office environment in the push towards lower carbon emissions and secure and reliable energy supplies.
In the years since RES took over this abandoned hen farm, this remarkable site has gone from laying eggs to hatching ideas.
“The UK has excellent potential for wind energy, with our large resource and the Renewables Obligation encouraging investment. RES has a strong portfolio of projects in development, under construction and operational and we seek to continue to play a leading role in the market. With ambitious renewables targets to 2020 and positive statements from the Government in its Renewable Energy Strategy, we are optimistic that - as the technology becomes able to deliver capacity quickly, efficiently and economically - onshore and offshore wind has a bright future in the UK in the next few decades. However, there are still obstacles to overcome if this is to be achieved. Good quality projects are being delayed and refused at planning, because positive national policy is not being translated into approvals on the ground. The consenting regime for offshore is also lengthy. Concerns about the effect of wind farms on aviation are causing delays - we alone have 560MW held back by such objections. Projects that do get consented are unable to connect to the grid and the infrastructure needs investment. And finally, we are increasingly concerned about where we are going to find the qualified and experienced people (engineers, project managers, developers and others) to design, build and maintain the level of capacity that we need to reach the targets. The projected 35GW of onshore and offshore wind energy that could be installed by 2020 brings huge opportunities and benefits - generating employment, protecting the environment and helping to maintain our energy security. Wind power works and RES is ready to build. We look forward to quick action and joined-up Government strategies to overcome these few remaining challenges.”
Douglas Wright, CEO of RES Northern Europe and Asia Pacific.
Subscribe below for your
FREE newsletter.