JUNE/JULY 2013 | £5.25 - Wind Energy Network

DISTRIBUTED WINDHonorary Windcrop degrees celebrates for first northernindustry install with leaders 500th turbineChampagne corks were poppingas staff from a market-leading windturbine company celebrated their firstinstallation in the north of England,marking their 500th turbine in theground to date.Branching outThe milestone comes as the business,based in Norfolk, branches into boththe north and south west of the country,opening new offices in Yorkshire andCornwall, due to increasing demand for its15m high, 5kW systems.Managing director and founder of thebusiness, John Moore, said: “We aredelighted to be celebrating this milestonefor Windcrop and the small wind industry.Savings“From our Norfolk start-up with twosystems in 2009, our current fleet of 500will generate around 80GWh of electricityduring their 20 year life. Each systemwill save the site owner around £500a year in electricity and this will rise aselectricity prices increase in the future.“As well as helping people in tougheconomic times, Windcrop’s existingturbines will save the environment froman estimated 50,000 tons of carbondioxide by 2033 by replacing fossilfuel resources and due to our uniqueinstallation method we have alreadysaved more than 1,500 tons of CO2 byusing helical piles instead of concrete.”Happy customersSmallholder Anthony Hargreaves, 75,and his wife Pat, 73, were the happycustomers to have the landmark turbineerected at their 16 acre farm in Silsden,West Yorkshire.Staff from Windcrop joined the couplefor a celebratory glass of champagnerecently.“To be honest, for us, it’s about savingas much money as we possibly can”commented Mr Hargreaves. “We have anumber of horses, dogs and chickens onthe farm and electricity bills just keep onrising.“We already had solar panels, but wewere keen to save as much as possible,so it works really well to have bothsystems running side by side.”Based on Windrop’s current fleetperformance, the Hargreaves’ areexpected to save £342 a year on theirelectricity bills with their new turbine,which amounts to a £11,318 saving overthe next 20 years.Environmental considerationsAs well as making considerable savings ontheir bills, the family will also be doing theirbit for the environment by reducing theircarbon footprint and saving an estimated90 tons of carbon dioxide by 2033.Mr Hargreaves added: “I am reallypleased with the turbine. The guys whoinstalled it were great, only taking a day,and it’s so quiet the animals don’t evennotice it.”Windcrop Ltdwww.windcrop.co.ukDISTRIBUTED WINDNext-generationwind turbinetechnologyincreases return oninvestmentNorthern Power Systems, a nextgenerationwind turbine technologycompany and leading manufacturer ofpermanent magnet direct-drive windturbines, has further expanded itsproduct offerings with two new turbinemodels specifically designed for lowwind sites.Proven technologyBoth the NPS 60-23 and the NPS 100-24 are based on the proven NPS 100-21platform, but leverage product featuresthat produce higher energy capturein low winds while reducing the noiseprofile of the turbine, enabling more sitingopportunities for the owner. The Companyhas successfully deployed more than 20 ofthese turbines in the United States, UnitedKingdom and Italy during 2012 and 2013,demonstrating the success of the design.Increased value“NPS is committed to deliveringenhanced offerings that lower costsand increase performance for turbineowners. We are increasing the valueproposition of our already highly-capableNPS turbines through an integrated roadmapof expanded product and servicesofferings, of which our proven low windenhancements are just one example,”stated Troy Patton, President and CEO,Northern Power Systems.The NPS Low Wind turbine fleet hassurpassed 50,000 operational hours withavailability in excess of 97%, and hasgenerated more than 1,500 MWh of clean,renewable energy, enough to power morethan 150 US (or 450 UK) homes for an entireyear. These improved models are optimisedfor low wind and yield comparatively moreenergy in low wind regimes.SpecificationsThe NPS 100-24 is based on the provenplatform of the NPS 100-21 which wasoriginally designed to service remoteareas such as Alaska, where regularmaintenance is not an option. TheNPS 100 is a highly reliable turbine thatutilises permanent magnet direct-drivetechnology and has fewer moving partsthan a conventional gear-box based windturbine. The larger rotor diameter, lowerrpm and tip speed of the NPS 100-24 and60-23 makes for quieter operation, whilethe longer blades capture more energy atlower wind speeds. The NPS 60 modelgenerates 59.9kW rated power and isutilised in areas where grid connectioncapacity is a constraint.Case studyScottish farmer Mervyn Wallace recentlyinstalled an NPS 60 at his farm, his secondNorthern Power Systems wind turbine.“I’m excited that Northern Power cameout with a new turbine that is designedspecifically for lower wind speeds. I amvery pleased with the revenue that bothof my Northern Power turbines are nowearning for me. NPS turbines are anexcellent return on capital invested.”With over 2.5 million run-time hours acrossits fleet, Northern Power turbines providecustomers with clean, cost effectiverenewable energy. The quiet, low profileturbines with multiple tower and rotoroptions fit perfectly in remote locations aswell as in agricultural and industrial areas.The turbines’ reliable, safe and simpleoperation gives owners peace of mind whiledelivering the highest potential opportunityfor customers to maximise their returns.Northern Power Systemswww.northernpower.com94 www.windenergynetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 95