Community Wind Turbine at Pantperthog

Information Service, Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ .
Tel: 0845 3308373 or 01654 705989 Fax: 01654 702782 e-mail: info@cat.org.uk
For more information sheets, see our web site: www.cat.org.uk/information

In April 2003 a community owned wind turbine started generating electricity close to the Centre for
Alternative Technology. Following are details of this project as supplied by Ecodyfi.

The Concept

• The idea was formed in 1998 and discussed in public meetings and leaflets. Local people compiled the
environmental assessment.
• Planning permission was obtained in 2001 with hardly any opposition, presumably because those who
dislike such additions to the landscape appreciated it was relatively small and was keeping the financial
benefits in the local economy.
• Construction took place between April and June 2002. CAT’s experienced engineers laid the
foundations, erected and commissioned the turbine and carried out the grid connection.
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• It was officially opened on April 5 2003 by Cynog Dafis (Assembly Member), Bill Owen (Vice Chairman
of Glantwymyn Community Council) and a hundred local people and guests.
• They named the turbine “PÒHUPobl - People Power”.

Ownership

• Owned by Bro Dyfi Community Renewables Ltd (BDCR) - an Industrial and Provident Society (one vote
per shareholder).
• 59 shareholders, including Baywind Energy Co-operative and the Energy Saving Trust (EST) - the
others are individuals.
• All bar three of the individual shareholders live in the Dulas and Dyfi valleys.
• 11 of them earned their shares by working on the project during either the planning or construction
phases.
• The minimum shareholding was £100 and the maximum had to be reduced to £1,000 so that everybody
who applied could buy some.
• Those who leave their investment in for a 15 year term hope for an 8% rate of return.

Financing

• Capital cost was £81,000 including spare parts and an extended warranty agreement with those who will
maintain it (CAT).
• The construction contract was won by CAT and was worth £45,000, including the costs of connecting to
the Grid and instrumentation.
• The European Regional Development Fund gave a grant of £19,000, The Energy Saving Trust
contributed £17,500 and the Scottish Power Green Energy Trust £10,000.
• These grants were arranged by Ecodyfi and the Powys Energy Agency, as part of a wider community
renewable energy project supported by Powys County Council and the Welsh Development Agency.
• Operation and maintenance costs are estimated at £2,300 a year.
• This contract is being placed with CAT, who will display the turbine's performance to their visitors.

© 1995-2007 Centre for Alternative Technology

The Turbine

• Second hand Vestas V17 turbine and tower bought from Denmark (where many wind turbines are being
replaced with larger ones).
• The turbine itself cost £15,000 but the great majority of the expenditure was kept in the local economy.
• 22 metre tower and a rotor diameter (all the way across) of 17.5 m.
• The turbine is on land owned by Forestry Commission Wales. They charge a non-commercial rent.
• Two other landowners have access agreements with the group because cables pass through their land.

Capacity

• Maximum output of 75 kilowatts.

• Output enough for nearly 50 households (average household consumption is 0.5 kW continuous, so that
would be 75 x 2 = 150, but the capacity factor of 30% brings it down to 45 houses i.e. average output is
30% of the maximum capacity).
• Projected annual output is 163 megawatt hours (163,000 units).
• This amount of electricity would release 70 tonnes of climate-changing carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere if generated using fossil fuels.

Management

• The dividends from EST's shares will go into a Community Energy Saving Fund and be spent on
practical measures to reduce energy use locally. This means that further CO2 savings (probably another
345 tonnes) can be made and that people will spend less on energy.
• The Fund will be managed jointly by representatives of BDCR, Ecodyfi, the Centre for Alternative
Technology (CAT), Glantwymyn Community Council and Powys Energy Agency.
• In practice, the power will all be sold to CAT.
• They will use about 20% of this on site and sell the rest. They can sell the Renewables Obligation
Certificates as well (public suppliers need to buy these if they aren't generating enough electricity from
renewable sources themselves to meet the government's instructions).
• This surplus will power local houses, although the householders will pay their existing suppliers in the
normal way. The structure of the electricity industry and its regulation make it prohibitively expensive for
a small generator like this to actually sell the power to several different local customers.
• Having a single customer (CAT) within reach of underground cables was convenient and provided the
security of a long-term agreement. It also avoided the need to connect to the Grid, but in the end this
was done as well. It provides different options for moving electricity between the turbine, CAT and the
Grid.

Further information

• BRO DYFI COMMUNITY RENEWABLES LTD, c/o Ecodyfi

• ECODYFI (Andy Rowland), TÔBro Ddyfi, 52 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth, SY20 8DT.
Tel 01654 703965, Website www.ecodyfi.org.uk
• CENTRE FOR ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY, Information Department, Machynlleth, SY20 9AZ.
Tel 01654 705989, Email info@cat.org.uk Website www.cat.org.uk (includes photo diary)
• ENERGY SAVING TRUST, 21 Dartmouth Street, London, SW1H 9BP.
Freephone 0800 512 012, Fax 020 7654 2444, Email info@est.co.uk Website www.est.org.uk.
• RENEWABLE ENERGY INVESTMENT CLUB c/o Dulas Ltd, Unit 1, Dyfi Eco Park, Machynlleth, SY20 8AX.
Tel 01654 705000, Fax 01654 703000 Website www.reic.co.uk
• SCOTTISHPOWER GREEN ENERGY TRUST, Sales & Supply Business (Section 25), PO Box 7111,
Cathcart Business Park, Glasgow, G44 4GP.
Tel 0141 568 6400, Fax 0141 568 3384, Website www.scottishpower.com
• BAYWIND ENERGY COOPERATIVE, Unit 38, Trinity Enterprise Centre, Furness Business Park, Barrow-in-
Furness, Cumbria, LA14 2PN. Tel 01229 821 028, Fax 01229 821 104 Website: www.baywind.co.uk
• COMMUNITY WIND POWER NETWORK: www.freewebs.com/communitywindpowernetwork

© 1995-2007 Centre for Alternative Technology