Making a difference to landowners and lease-holders

Our experience of wind farm implementation allied to a detailed knowledge of the available turbines enables us to find solutions for landowners looking to install turbines that maximise the return through the feed-in tariffs.

 

Read our full medium wind capability assessment here.


Through our knowledge of wind turbines and development we take a staged approach to assess, and where appropriate, develop your wind generation projects whether they are a single medium sized turbine, or a large wind farm.  We take a project from inception through planning and build out to operation.

 

The introduction of UK feed-in-tariffs (FiTs) in April 2010 improved the returns particularly for medium sized turbines <500 kW.   A significant new strand of work for us is helping landowners take advantage of the new FiTs. With a new “mid-wind” sector emerging, our technical turbine knowledge and wind farm implementation experience puts us in a strong position to help.

 

We will give you a quick view on suitability and if we think your site has some potential for at least one appropriately sited medium sized wind turbine, we will propose a staged approach; starting with a desktop feasibility study.


We provide:
•    Supply chain advice and networks
•    Advice on technological and market trends
•    Feasibility studies

 
 

Our free initial assessment tool for assessing whether a GB site is suitable for at least one medium or large sized wind turbine will go live here in 2012.


To be alerted when it comes live please enter your details here.
 

  • To read our presentation Making the Most of Medium Wind Technology click here.
     
  • To learn more about BVG Associates click here.
     
  • If you would like us to quote for site selection, staged feasibility studies, advice on turbines, or acting as owner’s engineer please get in contact 
     
  • If you are considering a small (50 kW and below) turbine we recommend that you:
 
  1. Make yourself very familiar with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme and use installers and turbines that have been certified under it.
  2. Use the Carbon Trust's Wind Yield Estimation Tool. 

Wind turbine sizes

 

  Size Power rating Rotor diameter
  Large > 500kW > 33m
  Medium < 500kW
> 50kW

< 56m
> 15m
  Small < 50kW
> 15kW		 < 20m
> 10m
  Micro < 15kW < 10m
  Building mounted < 10kW < 6m

 

Some things to consider when planning your wind project

 

  • Different wind turbines are designed to operate optimally in varying wind climates.  While wind speed is important, a low wind speed does not necessarily mean an uneconomic project.

Read More

 

 Typical minimum wind speed at 45m required for single turbine and a 5% IRR (10 years) [1]
  Output always displaces on site consumption No on site consumption displaced
 500 kW 4.6 m/s at 45 m 5 m/s at 45m
 50 kW 5.6 m/s at 45 m 7 m/s at 45m
 15 kW 5.0 m/s at 10 m
(~6.2 m/s at 45 m)		 5.6 m/s at 10m
(~7 m/s at 45m)
 10 kW 6.5 m/s at 10 m
(~8m/s at 45 m)		 7.4 m/s at 10m
(~9m/s at 45m)
 1.5 kW building mounted 8.8 m/s at hub height [2] 7.2 m/s at hub height [2]
 [1] Internal rate of return about 5 per cent over 10 years or simple payback period of 7.7 years.
 [2] Assumes speed up of wind speed around building is 1.2 times background

 

  • Wind speed increases with height and this is generally more marked the further in land. The energy captured is related to the turbine rotor’s swept area. Quite modest increases in the turbine's rotor diameter and the hub height can lead to significantly higher energy yields.
     
  • Grid connection costs are the most variable cost in wind projects. While it is always possible to connect to the grid, the grid node that is able to accommodate a connection of a given power could be a long way away from the potential site. Read more
     
  • More capacity does not necessarily improve project economics. Read more
     
  • Larger turbines do not automatically need to be sited much further from dwellings. Read More
     
  • There are a large number of potential constraints to wind projects. Read More


 

Key considerations in siting and sizing turbines

 

  • Wind climate. This will affect the size of turbine (diameter and hub height needed to generate a given amount of energy or obtain a target financial return).  For an indication of average mean wind speed go to RenewableUK's introduction.
     
  • Aviation. Constraints include airports safeguarding, air traffic control and air defence radar, low flying zones.  If the tip height is greater than 15m then it is necessary to consult about a potential site with the MOD and CAA. 
     
  • Environmental designations. The separations required and the scale of turbines deployed depend on these.
     
  • Location, includes proximity to, occupancy of and orientation of:
  1. Residential properties. Look to be able to achieve about 450m separation from a 100kW turbine, about 700m from a 850kW turbine and about 900m from a 3MW turbine
  2. Offices. About a third of that required for dwellings
  3. Other buildings with windows
  4. Other buildings without windows.
     
  • Access - roads - separation between buildings, tightness of bends, and space for crane pads and assembly
     
  • Proximity to the grid node that is suitable to connect to affects cost and complexity of connection.  Initially look for proximity to grid line. You will not know if this has the grid node which is something assessed after this initial stage
     
  • Location of other infrastructure, e.g. grid lines, roads, buried services (gas pipelines)
     
  • Location of bridleways and footpaths
     
  • Ground conditions
     
  • Use of area. Places where people frequently gather are usually outside of turbine topple distance
     
  • Economics

 

 

  

"We have found BVG Associates helpful and flexible. We value their technical and market understanding and their Government connections.”
Giles Hundleby, Project Director, Clean Energy, Ricardo UK Ltd

"BVG Associates has unparalleled knowledge across the offshore wind industry as a whole and provides an excellent well-networked insight into the needs of the industry"
Anonymous

"In helping us to assess the potential and progress of Energy Technologies Institute projects, BVG Associates brings insights that can only be gained from designing and building wind turbines.”
Andrew Haslett, Director - Strategy Development, Energy Technologies Institute

"BVG Associates insight into the wind industry has been very valuable to us in giving confidence that we are working on the right technical issues"
Anonymous

“BVG Associates has been a great help in a number of areas of our UK operations. In particular we were grateful for their assistance in helping us grow our research capability centered around wind turbine rotors on the Isle of Wight. The company understands our business and it plays a valuable role in enhancing the wind industry supply chain in the UK.”
Ian Chatting, Vice President, Vestas Technology, UK   

“The industrialisation of the wind industry in the UK is a complex issue and someone needs to be able to bring the different strands together. BVG Associates is doing that in a way that few others can."
John Hill, Converteam

“Since 2005, the team at BVG Associates has been really useful in helping Insensys understand the wind energy marketplace and to provide introductions and specific advice from their extensive knowledge of the industry and the key influencing individuals.”  
Toby King, Managing Director of Moog Insensys

"BVG Associates was recommended as the consultants best placed to add value to our demand and need study. The work they did was vital and guided us in helping develop a targeted vision and move towards a delivery strategy for the PowerPark."
Jason Wells, Project Manager, 1st East

"BVG Associates has given us insights into the wind industry which have proved invaluable whilst building business in this exciting arena. Their passion and depth of knowledge, plus an ability to introduce us to key players, has really made a difference to Peel Ports."
Captain Stephen M Gobbi, Group Marine Director, Peel Ports

"BVG Associates unparalleled knowledge and experience of the offshore wind industry has proved an invaluable support to us, both at a strategic level, in articulating our regional 'offer', and in brokering direct relationships within the industry."
Graham Tubb, Head of Environmental & Energy Technologies, SEEDA