News / Troubled turbines could soon turn again
A SHETLAND social club hopes to be generating electricity and money again in the near future after hopes were raised that a technical problem which crashed their wind turbine is soon to be resolved.
An acute failure in a weld on the Proven Energy P35-2 turbine forced all the owners of the 15KW device to shut them down in September.
These included Sandwick Social Club and around six private individuals in the isles, as well as about 500 others throughout Scotland.
The problem on the turbine’s main drive shaft led directly to the collapse of the manufacturer, which in turn caused two installation firms to go under, including Shetland Wind Power (SWP).
Now Ayrshire-based VG Energy, the firm that took over SWP’s order book, has worked out how to fix the P35-2’s problem, which they hope will be accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) in the next few weeks.
SWP founder Michael Anderson, of Hoswick, said he was “optimistic” the solution would be approved and turbines could be re-commissioned over the next few months.
“This is a simple engineering issue so it will be overcome and if that is the only issue the MCS are looking at, it will be accredited and we can look at getting the wind turbines operational again,” Mr Anderson said.
He has formed a new firm called Specialist Technical Solutions, which he hopes will be helping VG Energy to repair the faulty turbines.
Neville Martin, of Sandwick Social Club, said the proposed “fix” was the best news he had heard for months.
“I reckon that if the turbine was working we should be making about £12,000 a year through the feed in tariff,” he said.
“Instead our electricity bills are much higher than they were last year when the turbine was working with six kilowatt blades.”
SNP highlands and islands list MSP Jean Urquhart said several P35-2 owners had contacted her about the difficulties they were having.
“I am delighted that progress is now being made and that these machines should soon be working again,” she said.
However the VG Energy solution will not assist crofters Norman and Evelyn Leask, of Snarraness, Walls, whose P35-2 turbine crashed to the ground during the gales before Christmas.
Their turbine suffered a weld failure in the tower, which was manufactured by a separate company in England.
Mr Leask questioned whether the technical standards being applied to microgeneration were as good as they should be. “I believe that some of the checks on some of the manufacturers are not up to North Sea standards,” he said.
However the P35-2 has received the highest classification possible from the MCS, whose accreditation is essential to receive government subsidies on green energy.
Meanwhile Community Energy Scotland are working on trying to resolve problems being felt by other turbine owners in Shetland following the demise of Shetland Wind Power.
It has also emerged that Proven Energy suffered losses of around £16 million when they went into receivership in September.
The receivers KPMG reported that the main shareholder LCA has written off their investment of £11.5 million and the unsecured creditors are unlikely to get any of the £4.5 million owed to them.
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