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< Back to all news articles 14 Feb 2012 - Pilrow Broadview Energy makes donation to community green energy project

Broadview Energy, the developer behind the proposed Pilrow wind farm south of Rooksbridge village, has made a financial contribution towards the installation of solar panels on the roof of East Brent Village Hall. The installation, which has been organised by the East Brent Village Hall Management Committee, will generate renewable electricity to be used in the hall, significantly reducing the hall’s energy costs. Any surplus power will be exported to the local electricity network.

The installation of the panels is due to start on the 13th of February 2012 and will be completed by local installer Greener Planet Energy, which is based in East Brent. It is hoped that the community groups that currently use the hall will benefit from the installation as it will help to keep the hall’s running costs down, a saving which the Management Committee intends to pass on through keeping hire charges to a minimum.

Hugh Mackay, Chair of the Village Hall Management Committee, said: “The Committee is extremely grateful to these grant providers, without whom we would not be able to make this significant improvement to the Village Hall”.

Tom Cosgrove, Project Manager at Broadview Energy, added: “We recognise that there is not one single solution to the energy challenges we face in the UK, in terms of both reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy security. Whilst onshore wind farms, like the one proposed at Pilrow, will continue to make a valuable contribution to green energy objectives at a relatively low cost, there will always be a case for individuals and community groups taking responsibility for their own energy consumption.  East Brent Village Hall has presented an excellent opportunity for a community green energy project and we’re delighted that the Management Committee has invited us to be involved. It’s also great news that the project is being undertaken by a local installer”.

If the Pilrow wind farm goes ahead it will see the installation of between 8MW and 12MW of generating capacity, depending on the final choice of wind turbine, and is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the average annual demands of up to 5,300 households in the area.  In doing so, it will make a valuable contribution towards increasing the UK’s energy security and reducing our growing reliance on fossil fuel imports from volatile regions of the world.

In addition to the good work that Broadview is already doing within the community, the company is proposing to set up a community fund of £2,500 per MW of installed capacity, totalling between £20,000 and £30,000, which, if the wind farm is constructed, will be paid annually for the lifetime of the project. This fund could total between £500,000 and £750,000 over the project’s 25 year life and is intended to be spent by the community on community projects.

Final designs for the Pilrow wind farm site were announced in January and, following a detailed programme of site investigation and community consultation, the number of wind turbines has been reduced from the originally proposed six to four, and their height reduced from 140 to 130 metres.

For those who wish to find out more about the proposal, Broadview will be holding public exhibitions at the following locations:
• Monday 20th February at Mark Village Hall, Vole Road, Mark, from 9.30am to 1.30pm
• Monday 20th February at East Brent Village Hall, Brent Road, from 4.00pm to 8.00pm

For more details on the Pilrow wind farm and the forthcoming events go to www.pilrowwindfarm.com. Details can also be found on the Support Pilrow Wind Farm Facebook page.

Notes to editors:

1. Broadview Energy Limited www.broadviewenergy.com develops wind energy projects in the United Kingdom that will generate clean, sustainable energy. Broadview takes projects from site identification, through the planning process, to construction and operation. The company’s first wind farm (near Aberdeen) entered into operation in January 2010. Broadview has a number of other projects at various stages of the development process throughout the United Kingdom.

2. More information on the Pilrow wind farm can be obtained via the dedicated project web pages: www.pilrowwindfarm.com. 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Lisa Ross at Broadview Energy Limited  (lross@broadviewenergy.com / 020 7268 9911).