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Doncaster School children hoping to experience wind energy in action

Pupils at Pennine View School near Doncaster are a step closer to fulfilling their hopes of harnessing clean, green, sustainable wind energy, thanks to Hewlett Civil Engineering and Sykamore Small Wind Ltd. The youngsters from the environmentally conscious school in Conisbrough are currently learning about renewable energy and with help from the two companies are collecting wind data to support a planning application for a turbine to be erected on the school premises.

Head Teacher Mr Glyn Davies said: “Renewable energy and the environment are an important part of our studies at Pennine View School.  The children are very interested and keen to learn about wind power and we hope that having a wind turbine installed on the school premises will present a more practical and fun approach to learning and give a clearer insight into the reasons why we need alternative energy sources.”

The school, which is located on Old Road in Conisbrough overlooks the Don Valley and is situated on a particularly windy site. An anemometer has been installed to measure wind direction and speed and plans for a small scale wind turbine are currently being looked into.

The plans outline proposed options for a wind turbine to be sited adjacent to the school. If the planning for the turbine is approved, the scheme will provide a direct supply of green electricity to the school enabling it to reduce its carbon footprint as well as benefit from reduced electricity bills.

Steve Vickers from Hewlett Civil Engineering - who have recently helped Pennine View with some building issues relating to the schools new extension - said he was incredibly impressed by how forward-thinking both staff and pupils are at Pennine View about renewable energy. Hewlett works in partnership with Sykamore Ltd, a company dedicated to optimising small-wind generation projects through expert site design and turbine selection, and realised the installation of a turbine would provide an excellent learning opportunity for not only the children of the school, but also school pupils throughout the area, allowing a practical application of the school curriculum and providing huge financial rewards for the school.
 
Mark Wisniewski from Sykamore Ltd commented: “We are in the very early stages of testing to determine if a small wind turbine would be suitable at the school but anyone living close by can tell you that it’s a pretty windy area. If the project were to go ahead the school could expect to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 8 homes each year. It is very much a win, win, win situation; the turbine will help lower the school’s energy bills, its carbon footprint and provide an excellent learning experience for the students.”

Although the plan is very much in the early stages of development it is likely that the project would consist of a single three bladed wind turbine on a 12m mast. Wind testing is on-going but the small turbine is expected to produce approximately 38,000 units of electricity each year - more than enough to power the entire school, saving money and the environment. The turbine would generate carbon emissions savings of around 17.2 tonnes each year.

Similar applications have shown that Small Wind Turbines do not have any detrimental effect on the local ecology or any significant landscape, noise or visual effects. These are typical characteristics of small wind turbines, which is why Sykamore are recommending their implementation at this site.

Concludes Mr. Davies: “We understand how important it is to keep the parents of our pupils and the wider community informed and involved in the process in order to gain their support not only for this project, but to promote a positive enthusiasm to install renewable energy in schools throughout the area. We will be holding an open evening at the school to present all the facts, discuss the proposal and answer any questions. The outline plans already have the support of the school’s governors and we hope this will be echoed by the local community.”

Details of the public open evening at the school will be released shortly.