Wind energy Microgeneration
A towering wind turbine may be the most visible sign of the environmental credentials of a smart new bus garage in London’s East End. But, as Tom Idle discovers, it’s just one of many impressive sustainable technologies installed on site
hen Transport for London (TfL) bosses sat down to design a new bus garage in West Ham, they wanted to create something a bit different. Partly driven by a need to produce a good portion of its energy needs onsite and partly driven by a desire to be seen to be doing the right thing, low-carbon technologies were the order of the day. Housing some 320 buses, the garage features a laminated timber roof struc- ture, a green roof planted with sedum, a rain- water harvesting system, natural ventilation, a biomass boiler and combined heat and power units and bus washing facilities designed to recycle 70% of the water used.
W
But most impressive – and visible – of all is the wind turbine, providing up to 10% of the site’s requirements. And the inclu- sion of the turbine was a no-brainer for TfL, according to Andres Bluhm, regional director of Northern Power Systems, the company behind the technology. “If you look across the gamut of renewable energy technologies, in terms of efficiency and generation capacity, wind energy is currently one of the great- est contributors,” he says. “The technology is reliable and there is enough performance evidence that points to wind as having plenty to offer. Including a wind turbine at the West Ham site, was a very logical decision.” The Northwind 100, standing at 37 metres, an ideal
is size for community projects,
schools, hospitals, business parks and farms. Its unique design uses permanent magnet direct drive technology, which makes the power converter quiet and, with fewer moving parts, requires low maintenance. According to the firm, one turbine, or a cluster of two or three, can produce enough electricity to meet all the energy needs for most farms and small industrial sites. And the model falls into the feed-in tariffs (FITs) band that would generate 24.1p per kilowatt hour.
From initial design, to commissioning and installation, the wind turbine element of the build took around six months and the technol- ogy will last 20 years. And with FITs in place, adopting wind energy systems has become
The low maintenance Northwind 100 wind turbine at the TfL site in West Ham
Just the ticket
very attractive. “FITs has greatly enhanced the project economics for wind turbines and there has been a real surge in demand,” says Bluhm. The payback period is determined by three main variables: wind speed at the site you are positioning the turbine; the FITs rate; and the utility rates you are currently paying for your energy.
With wind speeds of around five metres per second, the West Ham site
isn’t ideal
(the average project Bluhm is involved with has wind speeds of around 6.5 metres per
second) – but it still has a payback period of around seven years. “Typically, in the better wind speed areas of Scotland, the South-west and Wales, payback would be more like 3-5 years,” says Bluhm.
Before FITs came in, it would have taken around 15 years for the West Ham site to get a return on their investment. The wind turbine, along with the rest of the sustainable technologies on site, will ensure the garage emits 27% less CO2 than compara- ble buildings built with traditional materials.
Sustainable Business | Microgeneration | October 2010 | 11
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