Installation of a CF20 20kW wind turbine to supply renewable energy to a house in Easter Ross. Ecodyn completed the planning application, grid connection and preparation of the site prior to installation of the turbine by C&F. This installation is now providing a useful additional source of income while reducing environmental impact and lowering electricity bills.

Installation of an Endurance 55kW wind turbine providing renewable energy to a large house near Kincardine. The turbine provides most of the electricity used by the heating and other electrical systems, with any excess being exported to the grid.

Initial Enquiry

At the beginning of May 2012, wind turbine specialists Ecodyn Limited were contacted by Orkney farmer Stephen Budge. Mr. Budge was keen to diversify his very windy farm but was concerned about the risk and uncertainty involved in doing so. We at Ecodyn were confident that the site was an excellent location for a wind turbine andwe were also sure that our inside knowledge of the sector allowed us to weigh up the extravagant claims flying around at the time about the performance and longevity of turbines and turbine companies. This allowed us to take a lot of the risk out of the process; so Ecodyn and Stephen agreed to work together to develop the site at Mount Pleasant Farm, South Ronaldsay.

Project Agreement

Ecodyn agreed to take on responsibility for planning, grid and legal costs. The project started with a study of available land, grid connection points, neighbours, designated sites, acoustics etc. which resulted in the submission of a screening request and grid connection applications for three turbines.

Turbine Selection

Harbon wind turbines were selected on the basis of the track record of both the company and the design in similar remote and windy locations. Added benefits of installing the Harbon machine were:

• That it can be installed and maintained without a crane on site thus negating the requirement for a road etc to site.

• The machine is class 1 to withstand the high winds out on Orkney.

• It is manufactured in the UK with components sourced within the UK and Europe.

Wind Turbine Planning

Orkney Islands Council was happy with the proposed project design, so the planning application process began in earnest. Even though the turbine is relatively small at 30m to tip, the planning department required comprehensive photomontages in strict accordance with SNH visualisation guidance. A cluster of objections to the north of the site led to the decision to remove the northern turbine, then more detailed consideration of local policies by the Planning Officer led to the removal of the southern turbine, leaving the development as a single 60kW Harbon connected directly to the farm.

The location of the remaining turbine was then changed several times to move it out of the sight-lines of neighbouring properties and then again to provide greater separation from the feeding locations of short-eared owls, which tend to hunt along field boundaries.

Planning Permission – Photomontages

Further delay was caused by the Councillors uniquely requiring that the photomontages be resubmitted with an accurate representation of the actual tower and turbine design, rather than the usual generic white monopole tower generated by most photomontage software. As one Councillor pointed out, “you don’t apply for planning permission for a house and just show us a picture of a house, it has to be a picture of the actual house you want to build.” However, with a bit of work on a graphics package, this was achieved and at the next committee meeting, approval was granted.

Legal Process and Finance

In the meantime, legal negotiations were going on in the background to translate verbal agreements into binding contracts that everyone was happy with. The legal process was pretty straightforward, as Ecodyn has previously developed sites along similar lines; however the financial aspect proved more challenging. Renewable energy publications and the inboxes of renewable energy professionals are full to bursting with advertisements for wonderful financial products designed specifically for the sector. It took several months of meetings, applications, phone calls and emails to discover that every single one was a waste of time but eventually this realisation proved beneficial as it demanded a more imaginative approach to funding the project.

Renewable Energy Co-operative

The Mount Pleasant Renewable Energy Co-operative was established to attract funding to the project, with the additional benefit that this approach is eligible for tax relief through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). EIS investments qualify for a range of benefits including (depending on tax status) a 30% rebate against income tax, freedom from capital gains tax and relief from inheritance tax. The Co-operative prospectus used very conservative performance estimates but even so, all the shares were sold in very short order. Even with this conservative approach, projected returns are much better than most investments and the additional attraction of tax advantages and environmental benefits make a compelling argument. One investor was considering buying an electric car before realising that investing the additional cost over a fuel-efficient conventional vehicle in the co-op would result in a decent return on investment and several times the carbon savings.

Wind Turbine Performance

The turbine is generating approximately 200,00kWh per annum.  Mr. Budge and all the members of the co-operative are very happy and looking forward to at least 20 years of reliable generation of both power and income.

A particularly challenging site to develop, this project had restrictions on both grid capacity and maximum height but the client wanted to ensure that the maximum possible capacity was installed. Following an analysis of available grid capacity and in collaboration with the planning authority, Ecodyn was successful in obtaining planning approval for two Harbon 60kW turbines.

Following a feasibility study looking at sites and grid capacity for the whole Logie Estate, the Fairy Hillock site and Endurance turbine were selected as the optimum combination, given restrictions on grid capacity and the relatively low wind speeds predicted for the site. The turbine was successfully installed and has now been operational for some years, providing a useful income stream and helping to contribute to lowering the environmental impact of the estate.

This installation of a 275kW two-bladed Vergnet turbine now provides pretty much all the electricity required for this intensive pig unit, dramatically reducing its environmental impact whilst also reducing electricity costs and providing a useful additional source of income.

This installation was particularly tricky to negotiate through planning because of the site’s proximity to various sites of historic interest. The installation of a single 60kW Harbon turbine will provide a significant contribution to the electricity requirements of the dairy, cheese factory and bakery, reducing costs and carbon footprint while increasing the sustainability of the whole business.

Ailsa Horizons is the local community organisation for Girvan in South Ayrshire. The organisation had had various pieces of work done on the feasibility of a community turbine and asked Ecodyn to pull these all together into a planning application, complete with landscape and visual impact assessment, photomontages etc.

This installation required a particularly low tip height to comply with radar requirements and also required a very quiet turbine because of the proximity of neighbours. Given these criterian, the only turbine for the job was an Aircon 10kW which is now up and running, providing a useful income stream from reliable energy generation.

Ecodyn’s first Gaia installation. The farmer came to us with planning approval in place and cables already in the ground. We built the foundations and installed two 11kW three-phase Gaia turbines which have been supplying reliable, carbon-free renewable energy to the farm ever since, reducing electricity costs and providing a useful additional source of income.

Grid connections in the Western Isles are restricted to no more than 50kW, making it very difficult to develop community wind power. However, in this and a couple of other cases, we have managed to secure both planning and grid for medium-scale 50kW turbines.

Working for Creetown's community organisation, we developed a feasibility study, together with a landscape and visual impact assessment for a community turbine.

Ecodyn completed the planning and grid applications for an Enercon E-48 wind turbine to supply renewable energy to the quarry.

Ecodyn was employed to develop a business case for a large scale community wind turbine, associated legal agreements, public, community and statutory consultations. This also involved project managing ecological assessments, transport assessments and LVIA to inform a planning application. Ecodyn also prepared community events and a planning application for a small scale wind turbine (50kW). The latter is expected to generate approximately 160,000kWh per annum and approximately £40,000 in income to the community. As part of the project Ecodyn were actively involved in advising the Group on incorporating a trading arm to the Charity representing the community. The type of structure was a Community Interest Company (CIC) as this is 100% owned by the community and ensure all profits are passed to the community. The profits will support job creation, assist people with fuel poverty, providing/improving recreational facilities/events, creating events/activities for elderly and young people, assisting in the further development of existing projects/groups/areas etc.

Ecodyn have successfully set up the Mount Pleasant Renewables Cooperative to install and run a Harbon Wind Turbine on Orkney. This is the first wholly owned Co-operative wind turbine in Scotland. The turbine is expected to generate 180,000kWh per annum and generate approximately £50,000 per annum.

In addition to the projects developed for Alness and Scalpay, Ecodyn are involved with the development and installation of small scale wind turbines (50kW) for West Harris Renewables and Harris Development Trust. We are also involved with the development of medium scale wind turbines (800kW) for private pension trusts.

“Working voluntarily for over four years for Newburgh Community Trust, Ecodyn managed a project to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment and planning application for a 7MW community wind farm.

This would have been the biggest community-owned wind farm in the UK had it not been refused planning by Fife Council. It would have allowed Newburgh to become better than carbon-neutral had the planning officer not decided that his unfounded personal opinion carried more weight than the conclusions of the exhaustively conducted landscape and visual impact assessment. On top of this, the SNP councillors on the planning committee voted against the wishes of their electorate and the policies of their party to overturn a motion to support the application. We went on to appeal the decision but the appeal too was refused by the reporter.

Ecodyn’s first Gaia installation. The farmer came to us with planning approval in place and cables already in the ground. We built the foundations and installed two 11kW three-phase Gaia turbines which have been supplying reliable, carbon-free renewable energy to the farm ever since, reducing electricity costs and providing a useful additional source of income.

Ecodyn completes planning applications on behalf of clients all over Scotland. We have now been involved with almost all planning authorities within the country and understand how each region operates.

Strategic Environmental Assessments – carried out SEA on Operating Plan (2007-13) for ERDF funding in Highlands & Islands, Operating Plan (2007-10) for Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Operating Plan (2007-13) for ERDF funding in the north-west of England for Government Office North West. Training in SEA for Western Isles, Angus and Dundee City Councils, Cairngorm National Park Authority and others.

Management of contaminated land site investigations at various levels from desk study through to remediation strategy.

Ecodyn worked on a project for Fife Council to carry out Appropriate Assessment on 2-3 Local Plans; simultaneously developing an AA toolkit for use by Council staff to facilitate the completion of the AA process internally.

Ecodyn has completed various projects, ranging from a basic EcoHomes assessment for a single house to an ongoing project acting as sustainability consultant for the regeneration of Craigmillar, involving some 3,500 houses, leisure, healthcare, commercial and retail facilities.

Keir worked with PARC and the EDI Group to set up a sustainable construction guide document and auditing system for the redevelopment of PARC Craigmillar, Edinburgh. This has allowed each stage of redevelopment to be compared for its environmental performance and is a framework for sustainable design and resource efficiency.

Ecodyn worked with architects Oliver and Robb for Kingdom Housing Association to design affordable homes in Crail with one of the highest sustainability ratings in the UK. The houses include solar thermal panels and home working spaces and residents have received a manual on how to benefit from their features. Included in the £1.2 million development are innovative measures to stop noise pollution and water waste, triple glazing, bike parks and public transport access. Over 15 per cent of the development is powered by the sun, with managed green space, and residents can walk to shops without relying on vehicles.

Ecodyn has carried out process and resource efficiency / waste minimisation audits for several hundred companies, mainly in the manufacturing industry, both directly and on behalf of organisations such as Envirowise and Scottish Enterprise. Savings identified in diverse areas including process efficiency, utilities (water supply, effluent, energy systems), waste generation, segregation and disposal, and others. Sectors covered include construction, engineering, design, chemical, food and drink, fish, textiles, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical, waste, public, hospitality, agriculture, electronics, aerospace, defence, space, education and others.

Ecodyn has carried out green design review projects for manufacturing companies to ensure compliance with WEEE, ELV, EuP and packaging directives. Clients are confidential but include representatives of the pharmaceuticals, electronics and distribution sectors. Also developed and delivered various training days and dismantling workshops delivered across the UK, principally for or in collaboration with Envirowise.

Carried out green design review projects for manufacturing companies to ensure compliance with WEEE, ELV, EuP and packaging directives. Clients are confidential but include representatives of the pharmaceuticals, electronics and distribution sectors. Also developed and delivered various training days and dismantling workshops delivered across the UK, principally for or in collaboration with Envirowise.

Working with Envirowise, AMDEA and the Home Retail Group, Ecodyn developed a design-stage green design label for use in proposed Argos “Green Pages”. Ecodyn completed research into design, manufacture, use and disposal of EEE product classes and then developed a weighted label assessment protocol.

Development and delivery of a programme of interactive workshops for SMEs in the food sector across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. As the cost of climate change starts to bite, it is these peripheral areas with their dependence on transport links and high unit energy costs that will be affected first. These workshops provided delegates with an introduction to carbon footprinting and ways of reducing the carbon intensity of product supply chains.

The Scottish Food and Drink Federation asked us to identify what would be the next big thing to hit their sector; we researched the industry and concluded that the climate change agenda (both fuel costs and carbon taxation) was the single biggest threat. Presented findings at a Scottish Parliamentary Reception and included the development of typical supply chain carbon footprints for member companies and training for company directors in supply chain carbon management.

Development of a comprehensive supply chain carbon footprint for the main lamb processing facility in Wales in response to the Saunders, Barber, Taylor paper. This was particularly useful when ASDA, the site’s main customer, announced to the press a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 10% by all their primary suppliers; we were able to point out that the site itself was only responsible for 7% of the total footprint.

A typical carbon footprinting project; this company collects silage wrap and other plastic farm wastes from across the UK for reprocessing into various extruded products. They wanted to be able to answer the question often asked of them, whether this was environmentally preferable to incineration on site. We developed a comparative carbon footprint of their products and those of their competitors, which successfully demonstrated that their business model was the better environmental option.

Research into the carbon footprint of Scottish tourism and development of a robust off-setting scheme, based both on EUETS/JI/CDM projects and smaller scale, Scottish-based VER projects.

Research for Highlands and Islands Enterprise into the indicators used by various comparable agencies. This project has developed into the creation of a weighted index of sustainability, based on regional and operational criteria, which is used for the assessment of strategic projects and will in time be used for ongoing monitoring of agency performance across the board.

Ecodyn coordinated and assisted with a project to analyse and survey the entire Scottish food sector, it’s impact on the environment and the impact on the sector. This included research into the structure of the sector, development of a representative survey and questionnaire model, delivery of survey, analysis and collation of results, commentary and recommendations. The survey was commissioned by Envirowise in association with the Scottish Food Group.

Ecodyn has recently won a tender issued by Quality Meat Scotland to report resource use efficiency in the Scottish pig industry. Work has started to gather data to determine the carbon footprint of the industry.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the economic development agency responsible for the north of Scotland. With the changes to delivery of Transport services inherent in the launch of Transport Scotland, HIE developed a Transport Strategy for the region, based on economic and social requirements, on which they then asked for environmental comments. Since the Strategy had not been formulated with any environmental issues in mind, some of the comments were quite colourful and their resolution interesting.

A comprehensive review of waste generation and management across the Western Isles for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Ecodyn investigated the possibility of establishing an Eco-Industrial Park with industrial symbiosis in one of their vacant industrial areas. The project centred on the existing Integrated Waste Management Facility, the Creed, which processes food waste in an anaerobic digester, and involved analysing the waste types available on the Islands to establish whether or not it would be feasible to transfer the associated businesses to the industrial park, so that these wastes could be recycled and reused by other companies/businesses to reduce the overall amount of waste sent to landfill.

Keir is well known in the office for his love of databases and spreadsheets. At Ballast Phoenix he developed a tool to allow the sales staff at the company to compare the embodied energy of their product against rivals, taking into account numerous variables.

Ecodyn has developed a carbon footprinting protocol which has been used for (among others) Scottish Food and Drink Federation, Scottish Executive, Caledonian Cheese Company, Grampian Country Food Group.

On behalf of Quality Meat Scotland, Ecodyn completed all of the PPC applications for Scotland’s intensive pork producers and has been assisting applicable operators with meeting their requirements under the regime. Ecodyn completes regular audits of energy and resource efficiency on farm and looks at various waste management options for the producers. Improvement opportunities are identified where possible and best practice initiatives shared throughout the sector.

A multi-stage project that has seen the majority of the abattoirs in Scotland and Wales being supported through PPC application process.

Ecodyn has completed numerous PPC applications for Part A, A(1) and B installations in various sectors for facilities in SEPA and EA regions. Projects included assessment and management of raw materials, chemicals, processing, waste, effluent, atmospheric emissions, energy systems, packaging, distribution etc.

Ecodyn has representation on the Resource Efficient Scotland panel which helps encourage Scottish organisations to save money by using resources more efficiently.

Scottish Salmon is the leading independent producer of superior Scottish salmon. Its sites are governed by strict legislation and each site requires different environmental permits. Ecodyn has completed the Pollution Prevention and Control permit applications for all shore based slaughtering stations. Two big issues for the sites were water use and effluent and, through good management, they were able to dramatically reduce running costs and ensure full compliance.

A typical abbatoir for which we have developed systems for monitoring and measuring to ensure costs are kept down and full legal compliance.  The site has gone through considerable changes over the last 5 years and we have managed the decommissioning of refrigeration plant and the massive protein processing unit.  Through best practise processes the site has reduced waste costs through improved segregation and changes to on site packing systems.

Ecodyn has implemented integrated management system for clients in the following sectors: chemicals, construction, engineering, food and drink, malting, waste and wholesale.  The projects have involved preparing documentation, delivering training, completing internal audits and assisting with corrective actions.

Ecodyn has developed and implemented hundreds of environmental management systems for clients in the following sectors: agriculture, chemicals, construction, electronics, food and drink, manufacturing, medical, paper and packaging, pharmaceuticals, tourism, waste and wholesale.

HACCP is a systematic preventive approach to food safety and boilogical, chemical and physical hazards.  In production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe, and designs measurements to reduce these risks to a safe level.  They are a requirement of various standards in the food and drink sector including many industry standards and the Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS).  Ecodyn has completed HACCP audits for a large malting company.

Ecodyn has worked with a number of waste management organisations to assist them with applying for waste management licences (WML).  Ecodyn has also assisted companies that already hold a WML with regulatory issues and liaison with SEPA.

This project started in 2004 and was funded by Scottish Enterprise.  Ecodyn developed and implemented a full environmental management system for the site that was certified to 14001.  Keir continues to work for this site carrying out training, legal compliance audits, water audits, waste minimisation reviews and process reviews.  Year on year the site has continued to see reductions in total waste and energy consumption while at the same time the staff numbers have almost doubled.

Carried out legal compliance audits for an extensive range of clients.  These ensure that the site is in full compliance with the law and also that they are aware of future legislation.  These audits prove invaluable for EMS compliance and for good relationships with the regulator.  They also allow sites to be one step ahead of the competition and budget for future change.

Redeem collect and recycle mobile phones and electronic goods (and until recently printer cartridges) from throughout the UK for re-use across the world.  Elaine has been Redeem's outsourced environmental and quality manager since 2007.  In this time, she has been in charge of the management system on site, ensuring legal compliance with waste regulations, corresponding with SEPA, delivering staff training and driving environmental programmes to meet objectives and targets relating to resource efficiency.  Redeem runs the O2 Recycle campaign and through Telefonica's Supply Chain Responsibility Policy is being encouraged to develop a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy.  Elaine has been instrumental in the development of Redeem's CSR commitments.

David S Smith Packaging have used Ecodyn Ltd to put in place controls on the sites that are not large enough to justify full ISO 14001 systems.  Keir has developed bespoke scaled approaches to different parts of the organisation ensuring the system is detailed enough to ensure environmental impacts are controlled and simple enough to minimise staff resources. This project is now being extended to DSSP's European sites.

Many years ago Ecodyn helped Glenseal install an integrated mangement system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and continue to manage the internal audit process for Glenseal and its sister company Quin Global.  Ecodyn conduct monthly internal audits and provide advice with corrective actions.

Williams Refrigeration is a manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment.  Elaine helped them develop their environmental management system through a variety of workshops and training sessions.  This involved looking at all aspects of the refrigeration business and assistance with developing operational controls and applicable objectives and targets.   Following certification, Elaine and Ecodyn continued supporting Williams with annual legal compliance audits.

Falcon Foodservice Equipment is the leading UK manufacturer of commercial catering equipment.  Ecodyn worked with Falcon to develop an environmental management system which integrated into their existing quality management system.  Ecodyn ran a number of workshops and training exercises with senior management which was then used to encourage staff engagement.  Ecodyn's templates were created into Falcon documents and the site successfully obtained ISO certification on the first attempt and continue to use Ecodyn for legal compliance audits.

Branston is one of the largest buyers, packers and distributors of potatoes in the UK. Ecodyn assisted with the development of Branston's environmental management system and now completes legal compliance audits for their sites in England and Scotland.

Axis Shield are a global provider of innovative and reliable diagnostics tests for healthcare.  Ecodyn implemented their environmental management system and continue to assist by conducting environmental compliance audits.

Sandvik produces industrial heating technology and resistance materials (furnace products, heating systems, resistors, capacitors) and is a company that Ecodyn has been involved with for a number of years.  Ecodyn are often called on to provide tailored environmental advice for Sandvik in Perth and complete legal compliance audits for the company regularly.  We have been involved in energy and waste projects on site and have provided advice to the company when they were considering a wind turbine at their factory.

Add Date here

Henrik set up and maintained the QMS for Stirling Council's composting facility, enabling them to produce a quality product to ensure biodegradeable waste was diverted from landfill.  He was responsible for collecting and compiling environmental data, developing procedures, developing quality controls, site reporting, recording waste data, reviewing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with a waste management license and liaising with SEPA.

Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Development of a wind turbine project for an iconic Scottish craft cheese producer, based on a 65kW Harbon wind turbine.  Including feasibility, planning, grid, logigistical solutions, project management and foundation installation.

South Ronaldsay, Orkney

Feasibility, planning, grid, logistics and project management for a Harbon 65kW wind turbine installation in Orkney.

Ecodyn also developed a novel funding solution for this project, establishing a co-operative as a tax-efficient vehicle for members to invest in renewable energy.  We now manage the co-operative, looking after FITs and other payments, managing returns and communicating with co-op members.