ELECTRICITY GENERATION

The cost of electricity supply to the club is currently one of our major overhead costs, currently running at around £1,200 per year. We are in the last year of a three year contract with our current supplier and bearing in mind the uplift in unit costs per KWh over the past two years we can expect a significant increase in any future tariff when we come to re-negotiate the contract.

One possibility that we have recently been made aware of is that of generating our own source of electricity through the on-site installation of a wind turbine.  We have had discussions with a local firm of architects who have had experience in sourcing grants for the implementation of just such a project.  The potential advantages of the installation would be two fold; firstly we would be able to generate sufficient electricity to cover our annual requirements; secondly there would be an opportunity to raise revenue by selling excess supplies of electricity back to the grid.

The project would involve the installation of a 9m low maintenance wind turbine of domestic scale designed to be quiet, highly efficient and work well in built up areas and close to trees.  The precise location of the turbine is as yet undefined and would be subject to a full site survey as part of the project.  

We have been advised that 90% funding for this project is available through various sustainable energy grants and as a community amenity we may well have priority over the sums available.  We are at a very early stage in both negotiations and applications for funding for this project, but as a management team, strongly believe that in the medium and long term this is in the best interest of the club.  We will of course update you as members when and if this project progresses.