The South Brent Community Turbine

Product: Vestas V27 Wind Turbine – Size: 225kW, Location: South Brent, Devon. Date of Installation: August 2013

“The South Brent Community Energy Society project has raised well in excess of the £420,000 target, pulling in
£430,000 through a community share issue. We now have almost 200 members, consisting of 68% South Brent residents and 26% from surrounding areas. The proceeds from the scheme will be divided equally between private investors and public benefit schemes. All proceeds will be ploughed back into the community”.

Director of South Brent Community Energy Society, Edward Chapman.

The people of South Brent raised over £380,000 to purchase the wind turbine by buying shares in the wind turbine itself. The turbine is expected to generate over 400,000 kWh per year at 6.0 m/s which is 100 homes worth of electricity and save approximately 200 tonnes of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels in power stations each year. The V27 was installed and commissioned by spectrums highly skilled wind engineers.

Throughout the community wind project, Spectrum operated as technical support, negotiated with the national grid, submitted planning documents, conducted both soil and structural surveys, design and project management services, provided full insurance, and officially signed off the remanufactured V27 225kW wind turbine, which ultimately gave South Brent Community Energy Society the peace of mind that everything had been taken care of.

Having renewable systems running at optimum capacity is essential for a profitable project. It is also crucial to have qualified service technicians and parts available when needed. Operation and maintenance maximise the return from a turbine throughout its entire lifespan. Spectrum provided a full supply, installation and O&M package including insurance and loss of earnings protection, giving complete peace of mind.

Remanufactured Wind Turbines, in particular, the Vesta V27 225kW Turbine, offer a 97% availability due to approval from OFGEM and its eligibility for feed-in-tariff payments.