Wind turbines at Eastry/Eythorne (A256) exhibition

From 'This is Kent'

"A SERIES of public exhibitions will be held to explain the impact of two wind turbines to the Eythorne area.

The nearby villages are set to become a new hub of renewable energy, as reported by the Express last month, with plans on the way for two wind turbines and a solar array the size of 14 football pitches.




Scoping reports are being carried out for proposals for two wind turbines, in Barville Road, Eythorne and Thornton Lane, Eastry, by renewable energy developers RES UK & Ireland Ltd.


They will hold public exhibitions from 1pm until 7.30pm between April 24 and 26.

Wednesday's will be at Eastry village hall, Thursday's at Tilmanstone village hall, and Friday's at Eythorne Resource Centre."

Full story at here

RES site here

Proposed wind farm on the Kentish Flats

From our colleagues in Transition Town Whitstable:

Kentish Flats Windfarm Extension – Have your say
Please see below for information on the consultation exercise on the proposed extension to the Kentish Flats Windfarm.

“As you may know, Vattenfall is in the process of putting together an application to add up to 17 wind turbines to the existing 30 turbines at the five-year old Kentish Flats wind farm. It’s really important that the community and all those with an interest in our proposal to extend Kentish Flats get involved and tell us what they think.

From 31 January until 4 March 2011 Vattenfall is conducting a community consultation regarding the proposed extension which is located off the coast near Herne Bay and Whitstable.

There will be two public consultation events in February in Herne Bay and Whitstable and we encourage as many people as possible to come along ... Read more at the TTW site

Kent Micro Wind power firm wins award

First time Rushlight Awards entrant Luethi Enterprises Ltd is delighted to have won both of the categories they entered.

The Rushlight Wind Power Award was earned for the company’s patented 500W Silent Wind Turbine, which is a robust and efficient power solution for remote regions. The mechanical speed regulator ensures that the Silent Wind Turbine continues to produce maximum power – even in high winds, when other wind turbines have to be switched off. 100% of the power yielded is available for the end user, as there are no electronics requiring power. The simplicity and durability of the design means it’s ideal for remote applications.

Proof of this clever-but-simple technology can be seen in an early pre-production prototype installed at a farm in Nottinghamshire. This turbine powers an LED streetlight non-stop. The turbine has been in place for over four years, and has not required any maintenance or repairs – despite numerous storms in the area over that time.

The Rushlight Waste Recycling Award celebrates the Luethi Enterprises’ use of recycled plastic barrels to create cheap wind power for developing countries. Enquiries for efficient, cost-effective wind turbines saw Matthew Luethi acquiring used 220L plastic barrels. He then cuts the blades from this in a unique way that creates lift – and maximum power. This wind turbine requires very little breeze in order to achieve its 250W output, and a sample of this registered design is currently in transit to Ghana for evaluation by a charitable organisation.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won both these Awards – especially as it’s the first time we’ve entered!” says Matthew Luethi, the Inventor and Managing Director of Luethi Enterprises Limited.

“It’s great to be able to celebrate our success to date, but the hard work doesn’t stop here. I’ve been working away at this project in my garage for a number of years now, and it’s time for a production partner to come on board, so that this business can grow and flourish.”

“I’ve got so many orders, but I just can’t make them all myself,” says Matthew Luethi. “The company needs a production partner to come on board that’s willing to work collaboratively with us. Like many small businesses, the unwillingness of banks to lend money for expansion are an issue, so we’re looking for a more synergistic and creative approach.”

The ambitions of Luethi Enterprises do not stop with micro wind generation.

“Our technology is totally scalable. We’re starting our learnings with small, low-cost turbines, and our developments can then be applied to larger, more powerful units.”

“Many of the requests we’ve received so far are from people or organisations who need power in remote locations, be it for street lighting, emergency lighting, CCTV, heating water, or powering battery banks in eco-houses.”

Another application for the silent wind turbines that’s currently being tested is to power water pumps.

Luethi Enterprises Limited was established in 2005 by Swiss-born Matthew Luethi, who is a retired farmer. The company is headquartered in Kent , England http://www.silentwindturbine.com/

Thanet Offshore Wind farm - offically opens on 23rd Sept

The Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, off the Kent Coast near Broadstairs, currently the largest offshore wind farm in the world is offically openned on Thursday 23rd September.

With its 100 turbines, the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm has a combined energy capacity corresponding to the annual electricity needs of over 200,000 households. It will be officially unveiled by Chris Huhne, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Øystein Løseth, president of Vattenfall, the company behind the project. It took more than two years and cost a staggering £780 million to build.

Silent wind turbine - Built in Kent

Silent wind turbine – designed & built by Kent firm

The wind turbines built by Luethi Enterprises Limited who are based in Rochester is an innovative vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) for renewable energy production with many benefits over existing wind turbine designs.

The unique patented mechanical speed regulator allows the wind turbine to function in extreme weather conditions and produce a constant flow of power. Benefits of the silent vertical axis wind turbine according to the company are:

• Low start up speed: generates power at low wind speeds, from 3.6 m/s (8.1 mph; 13 kph; 7 knots).

• Unique patented mechanical speed regulator: for power production in all conditions, from light winds to gales and gusts.

• Constant power output: even at high wind speeds as it always faces into the wind.

• Independent: as there is no electronic steering system, no power supply is needed, making it suitable for installation in remote areas. (Other turbine systems need up to 80% of their power to operate their electronics.)

• Durable: no gearbox means easy maintenance and no expensive parts.

• Easy to maintain: even by semi-skilled engineers.

• No danger to wildlife: as there is no flight window for birds.

• Virtually silent: as the blades work with the wind, rather than cut through it

.http://www.silentwindturbine.com

Wind Turbine at Duke of Yorks School Dover

First wind turbine on Defence estate installed in South East!
The first grid-connected wind turbine to be installed on the Defence estate is up and running at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School near Dover. 
The wind turbine, installed by PriDE, will provide the school with a long-term sustainable electricity supply. It also creates an educational tool for the school’s pupils to learn more about carbon reduction technologies and renewable energy.

Over its installed life, the turbine is expected to generate about 269,000 kWh of ‘green’ energy for the school and to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 145 tonnes. Additionally, the wind turbine will result in cost savings of around £27,000.

The turbine is a three-bladed, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) with a 5.4 metre diameter rotor mounted on a freestanding tower, 15 metres high.

Prior to its installation, the collaborative safeguarding team investigated the proposed site of the turbine and confirmed it did not adversely affect any MOD operations. The planning application was lodged with the Local Council in August 2008.

The project was funded by the Army HQ (Land Forces) together with a 50% grant towards the installation costs from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP).

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2268008/wind-change-delivers-mod-first
http://pride-serp.co.uk/press/press-april2010.asp

Thanet wind farm produces first electricity

From 'Kent News online' : Electricity has begun flowing from the 300MW Thanet Offshore Wind Farm being built one kilometre off the isle coast.

Seventy-three of the 100 Vestas 3MW wind turbines have been installed so far at the site, which is being built by Swedish utility Vattenfall.

TOW will be the world’s biggest operating offshore wind farm when it is completed this year.

The project first produced power from turbine
number C08 on Sunday (May 16) in wind speeds of 10-13 metres per second.

Ole Bigum Nielsen, head of offshore projects at Vattenfall Wind Power, says the start of electricity generation marks a major milestone.

“Everyone has worked very hard and in spite of difficult winter weather we have kept to our schedule,” he said. 

For full report see http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Thanet-wind-farm-produces-first-electricity-newsinkent36169.aspx?news=local

News on Thanet Wind Farm.....

THE world’s largest wind farm, to be built off the coast of Thanet, will bring hundreds of new jobs to the isle, the Isle of local paper the Thanet Gazette reveals.

The team behind the London Array project has chosen Ramsgate port as the location for their new 1,800sq m operations and maintenance headquarters for the 100 turbines. The array is seven miles off the coast at Broadstairs and will produce 300mw of clean power for 240,000 homes.
Thanet Gazette article: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/eastkent/London-Array-comes-isle/article-1928340-detail/article.html

Contractor website: http://www.vattenfall.co.uk/en/thanet-offshore-wind-farm.htm     and http://www.warwickenergy.com/thanet.htm