News - Brill School Installs Wind Turbine

Brill primary school is well placed for wind energy, high on the top of Brill Hill in Buckinghamshire, where average wind speeds are registered at 6.4m/s.

The school has just installed a Proven WT6000 on its site with the support of funding generated by the school itself and from TV Energy, DTI Clearskies and Bucks County Council. The wind turbine is capable of producing in estimated annual energy yield 18917.6 kWh and is expected to supply about one quarter of the school's electricity, with any surplus exported to the national grid. Savings from the turbine are anticipated to be £1200 per year.

You can download the full case study on Brill here.

Brill for Wind Energy!

An example of a 6kW Proven wind turbine

Brill Church of England Combined School in Buckinghamshire has been granted planning permission by Aylesbury Vale District Council for a 6kW wind turbine.

In April last year, the school gained a Community Renewable Energy grant from TV Energy to look at a number of possible renewable energy solutions for the school. Following this, a £16,000 government Clear Skies grant was gained in November for a solar thermal system to heat the school swimming pool and for the wind turbine.

The school is well placed for wind energy, high on the top of Brill Hill where average wind speeds are 6.4m/s. The village already has a well loved and known windmill, and the school hopes that the new wind turbine will be equally valued by the local community and become a new icon for Brill.

The 6kW Proven wind turbine will generate approximately 20,000kWh per year based on the average wind speed. The turbine is expected to supply about a quarter of the school's electricity, with any surplus exported to the national grid.

The school has already had a number of enquiries from other schools wishing to set up a similar system and TV Energy will be using the school as a case study for future projects.

Funding for Biomass Boiler at Shortenills Centre

The Shortenils Centre form the air

Buckinghamshire County Council has recently had confirmation of a grant for over £13,000 awarded by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) through their Community Energy Programme to install a biomass boiler at the environmental education centre in Chalfont St. Giles.

In September last year the Shortenills Centre was awarded over £18,000 through the DTI's Clear Skies scheme for community renewable energy projects and with some funding from the County Council and this final grant, the scheme can now go ahead. The biomass boiler will be fuelled by woodchip sourced from Philipshill wood, local to the centre and owned and managed by the Woodland Trust. It replaces the existing oil fired boiler that currently heats the buildings and provides the hot water supply.

Both grant applications were submitted with the help of TV Energy, who have supported the scheme from the outset and have worked closely with Bucks County Council to make this scheme successful. Keith Richards, Managing Director of TV Energy said, "It is fantastic to see some successful schemes now appearing in the Thames Valley; we hope that Shortenills will now lead the way for other schools and organisations to adopt renewable energy technologies".

Shortenills Environmental Education Centre is used throughout the school year for day and residential visits by primary schools throughout the county. There they learn of the importance of our environment, from wildlife habitats to the effects of our energy consumption. At the centre the children work out their ecological footprint and learn how they can reduce their effects on the environment.

The Shortenills Centre already has a number of energy saving devices such as solar sun tubes that minimise the need for artificial light in buildings, a solar photovoltaic array that produces electricity and automatic timer switches for lights. The addition of a biomass boiler will offset approximately 50 tonnes of CO2 per year that is currently produced by the centre's oil boiler and will provide a further education facility for the children visiting the centre.

In addition, due to Buckinghamshire County Council's green energy purchasing policy, the new boiler will make the centre the county's first 100% renewable energy powered building.

The Shortenills Centre is located at Nightingales Lane, Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks. For further information on the new biomass scheme contact Annette Deveson or Keith Richards at TV Energy.

Clear Skies Grants for Shortenills Environmental Education Centre and Brill School 

Two Buckinghamshire schools have recently taken advantage of grants from the DTI's Clear Skies scheme to encourage the assessment and realisation of renewable energy projects. Shortenills Environmental Education Centre has recently been awarded over £18,000 to install a woodchip fired boiler to provide heat to the classroom, dormitories and dining hall, while Brill CE Combined School has been granted £16,000 to help install solar heating for their swimming pool and a wind turbine to generate electricity. 

Shortenills centre is an education centre funded by Buckinghamshire County Council to provide residential courses for primary aged children in Bucks. The centre teaches children the about issues surrounding the countryside, wildlife habitats and protection and energy use and renewable energy sources. 

The centre already benefits from a pergola fitted with solar photovoltaic panels that is monitored in the classroom with a display board showing the power being generated at that specific moment in time and the power generated since the panels were installed.

It was noted on a site visit by TV Energy that the oil-fired boiler used to heat the buildings and provide the hot water was very old and inefficient. On a subsequent visit by a member of the maintenance department from Bucks County Council they deemed that the boiler was due for a replacement. It was agreed that this was a perfect opportunity to consider the possibility of a renewable installation to provide heat for the centre. 

A TV Energy Community Renewable Energy grant and match funding from Bucks County Council paid for a feasibility study to be conducted by Econergy Ltd. The resulting study recommended that an 80kW woodchip boiler replace the existing oil fired boiler. The total cost of the project was estimated to be £38,000 and was eligible for Clear Skies funding. The Clear Skies application was submitted in August 2003 and notification of the funding awarded to Shortenills was announced in September 2003. 

Brill Church of England Combined School in Buckinghamshire also benefited from a Community Renewable Energy grant from TV Energy to look at a number of possible renewable energy solutions for the school. As a result an application was submitted to Clear Skies for a solar thermal system to heat the school swimming pool and also a small scale wind turbine. In total over £16,000 has been awarded to Brill school.