Case study

Wind turbine

Bedford College chooses quietrevolution qr5 wind turbine as part of £4.3M refurbishment

In September 2011, Elite Renewables installed a quietrevolution qr5 wind turbine on the roof of Bedford College's workshop block. The turbine formed part of the refurbishment of the college, where they won a bid to showcase an energy efficient building on its campus. The £4.3 million project was funded by Sustainable Efficiency East (SEE) and the workshop block will be turned into a demonstration area for alternative technologies.

The initial enquiry was made in April, when Bedford College contacted Quietrevolution which was then passed on to us. A wind survey was carried out and then several site surveys, in order to determine the best place to position the wind turbine on the roof so that it gained maximum wind exposure.

The installation of the turbine took place on the 24th September which was a lovely sunny day and ideal for the crane lift. At 8am the turbine arrived on the back of a low loader and the installation process commenced. First of all, the mast had to be craned onto the roof of the college and secured.

Next, the 6m mast had to be positioned on to the base support structure already fabricated on the roof. The the mast is articulated so that the turbine can be lowered for routine maintenance inspections using a hydraudlic ram.

Once the mast had been bolted down it was lowered to the horizontal position in preparation to receive the wind turbine. The rotor was lifted onto the roof in one piece and joined to be mast. With the structure still tilted down the cabling from the turbine was fed through the mast and connected to the junction box at the base.

When this was done, the turbine was then raised back into the upright position. The turbine control unit and inverter were installed in a classrom on the third floor of the building. With all the connections made the turbine was commissioned and ready for operation.

The quietrevolution turbine is in a very prominent position and can be seen from a busy road junction in the centre of town. Bedford College is already recognised as a national leader in green education and this low carbon refurbishment will allow the College to pin point its own building as an example of how to save energy. The turbine is a brilliant way to showcase the green energy scheme at the college and will help provide an important learning resource for the students of Bedford College.

Key facts

• The only MCS approved VAWT and eligible for Feed-in Tariff
• Annual energy yield of 4197 kWh at 5m/s to BWEA standards
• Can be ground or roof mounted
• Design life of 25 years (with annual inspections)

If you are interested in finding out more about the qr5 wind turbine then please contact us. We can undertake a desktop survey to check the suitability of your site and provide a estimated budget for the supply and installation of a wind turbine.