News

Ecodyn has been awarded a Certificate of Approval under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme for the design, supply, installation, set to work, commissioning and handover of micro- and small-scale wind systems. MCS Number 1436.

We have successfully installed the UK's first Hannevind turbine: a 22kW unit which went up without a hitch and is now operating perfectly. Demand is pretty intense and we are concentrating on that but when we get a spare second, we'll post some photos and videos of the installation.

The first Hannevind turbine in the UK is due to make landfall in Lincolnshire on Sunday evening. It will then make its way north to Fife, arriving early on Tuesday morning. With a following wind, we will then get the turbine head on a trailer and bring it down to ISWC2010 in Glasgow, so if you are particularly wanting to see it, best not come first thing on Tuesday. We should be all set by lunchtime!

It will take another few days before the revised list goes live but as of right now, Hannevind turbines are on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme's Transitional Arrangements List. http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/Home+and+Business+Owners/Microgeneration+Products/Wind+Turbines This means that they are officially eligible for the new UK Feed-In Tariff payments. In Scotland, all things Hannevind are managed by Ecodyn, so if you are interested in a 5.5, 11, 15, 22, 30, or 45kW Hannevind turbine, give us a call.

Ecodyn will be at the International Small Wind Conference and Exhibition 2010, at the Glasgow Science Centre on 27th and 28th April (http://www.renewable-uk.com/events/small-wind-conference/index.html). We are expecting delivery of the 22kW Hannevind turbine to be installed at our Fife offices in time for the exhibition so, assuming we can resolve some logistical puzzles, we hope to be able to bring the turbine head along for all to see.

We have just taken delivery of the bolt groups and founding frame for the UK's first Hannevind turbine, a 22kW unit to be installed at Ecodyn's offices in Fife. This means we can now get cracking with the foundation installation, which will take a couple of weeks, then about a month for the concrete to cure before we can put the turbine up. We'll post developments here as they happen.

Ecodyn made the news on Sunday in an article about small-scale wind turbines, Feed-in Tariffs and planning. See the full article at: http://news.scotsman.com/environment/Wind-turbines-poised-to-spark.6186216.jp

If possible, we are even more excited to have been appointed by Swedish wind turbine manufacturer Hannevind (http://www.hannevind.com) as their sole agent in Scotland. Hannevind make a range of turbines including 2.2kW, 5.5kW, 15kW, 22kW, 30kW and are soon beginning production of a 45kW model. These turbines are designed, built and tested to the international standards IEC61400 and ISO50308:2004, making them among the most robust and reliable available. We back this claim up with a minimum five year guarantee as standard. Hannevind turbines are also excellent value for money. In every case we have encountered so far, a Hannevind turbine comes in cheaper and gives a better return on investment than any competitor. For more details of this range of turbines, and to arrange a free site visit and comprehensive quote for installation, maintenance, management and financing of your turbine, please feel free to contact us.

We are proud and excited to announce that Ecodyn has been appointed as an agent for French wind turbine manufacturer Vergnet. Vergnet have developed their 275kW turbine on a 55m tilt-up tower for use in developing countries, where cranes are rare and extreme weather events are not. Over 600 of these units are now installed worldwide, in some of the most difficult environments on earth. With the new Feed-In Tariff system due to be introduced in April 2010, Vergnet have adapted this proven design for the UK market by switching to a 32m conventional monopole tower and de-rating the output to 250kW, so that one or two turbines will fit into the 50-250kW or 250-500kW tariff bands. With tariffs in these bands expected to be 18p and 16p/kWh, with an additional 5p for each kWh exported to the grid, these turbines have a predicted payback of around three years, following which they will pay out over £150,000 a year. Ecodyn brings a risk-free partnership approach to wind turbine installation projects, including financing of up to 100% of project costs. Contact us for details.

We had hoped that our planned office move from Nether Abbey back up to Fliskmillan Steadings would go without a hitch however we had not planned on BT. The planned soft switch over was due to start on the 2nd of September and once the new phone lines were in and working we would email the world about the change then look to have the old lines disconnected. However, it seems the only thing that happened on the 2nd was that the phone and internet were turned off. Currently we have the fax/internet line up at the steadings but both the old and new phone lines are off and despite our best efforts are unlikely to be back up until the start of next week. Please bare with us

To encourage the uptake of renewable energy installations, Ecodyn is offering a free site survey to help you assess specific local conditions, grid connection, power requirements etc. As well as providing you with a professional assessment of your proposed site, we will discuss with you the various technologies available, the optimal solution for your requirements, planning procedures, OFGEM and grid considerations, finance models and payback estimates. To discuss this service, please call the office and ask for Duncan Oswald.

We are now delighted to be able to offer clients the Hannevind range of wind turbines; this extends our capability to install the specific turbine solution for your needs, rather than being tied to one manufacturer. These highly sophisticated turbines are designed and built in Sweden and already have an exemplary track record over there. Despite this, they are considerably cheaper than alternative turbines, making them a very attractive proposition in the current market, and even more so once the proposed feed-in tariff comes in next year. Hannevind currently offer 2.2, 5.5, 11 and 15kW models, with a 22kW version in development. These can be installed on a range of lattice or monopole towers, depending on site-specific requirements. For more details of our renewables consultancy, installation and maintenance service, please contact us.

Doug has now completed and passed the installers course run by Proven Energy, allowing us to install Proven wind turbines. Ecodyn has been developing renewables capability for some years in response to clients' requests and of course developments in climate science and available technology. We currently have a handful of wind turbine installation projects on the go and are always interested in more.

Under regulation 48 of the Habitats Regulations (Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994) an Appropriate Assessment (AA) is required for all protected European sites within the Natura 2000 network. This requires an AA to be undertaken in respect of any plan or project which, either alone or in combination with other plans or projects, would be likely to have a significant effect such a site. Ecodyn has recently been commissioned by Fife Council to develop a tool which Fife Council staff can use to deliver these AA. The process of developing the tool will complete AAs on the East and Mid Fife Local Plans.

Ecodyn are managing a project on behalf of the Newburgh Community Trust to investigate the viability of a community wind farm. The proposed development would provide renewable energy for the town, approximately 2,500 people. The feasibility study is now underway and should be completed in the next couple of months.

Ecodyn has been commissioned to assist Scotland's pig producers with meeting the requirements of their Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Permits for the next 3 years. We are looking forward to donning our wellies and conducting site drainage reviews, waste assessments and review of slurry and manure storage in the first year whilst providing additional support to farmers where possible!

Many thanks to everyone who has pointed out that the bullet points don't work in the Team section of our new site, at least if you use MS Internet Explorer. Our technical team are looking into it but in the meantime, let us recommend one of the excellent alternative browsers which you can download for free, such as Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari. They all have better functionality than IE and the website looks fine in them. Cheers Ecodyn

Ecodyn has been contracted by Lighthouse Caledonia to complete an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control application for their installation at Port a Mhadaidh, Argyll. This project builds on our extensive experience of over 60 PPC applications including, in the fish processing sector, Marine Harvest in Corpach and Rossyew in Greenock.

Ecodyn has been appointed to develop an Integrated Management System for Peterhead Decomissioning Limited, which will be certified to ISO9001:2000, ISO14001:2004 and OHSAS18001:2007. PDL is an exciting new initiative set up by a consortium of companies in Peterhead to exploit the growing market in decommissioning offshore installations and equipment. To qualify for many tender opportunities, the company will require certification to all three management system standards. Ecodyn has a 100% track record of first-time certification to budget and deadline, covering over 100 systems developed to comply with these three standards, as well as the European Environmental Management Standard EMAS.

We have overhauled our old website and developed this shiny new one with its own Content Management System, allowing us to keep it a bit more up to date. The site has now been launched (as you can see) but we are still in the process of snagging it and populating it with up-to-date news, projects etc. If you see any glaring errors or omissions, please let us know. In the meantime, we are adding past projects and so on as time allows, so it won't be complete for a little while. If there are any specific areas of expertise or services you would like to know more about, please drop us a line.