Two sides of the Menai Straits. Plas Newydd and the Faenol

Posted on May 23, 2013 by
Volunteers, vision and the odd leyland. training, education and workshop

Volunteers, vision and the odd leyland. training, education and workshop

This morning and it was a meeting with Paul and various people to discuss the Marine Source heat pump. We had a walk and the old marine path which runs just above the high water mark on the Menai Straits (sometimes below it). Rhys from the Upland footpath team was over to advise on the repair of this path. This access is needed for the new manifold building (pumps and heat exchangers). Looks fairly straight forward and things are moving well.

After lunch and over the other side of the Menai  Straits and a world away from cutting edge marine heating systems and i was in the Faenol wood land with John Whitley the ranger looking at a new energy system for his ‘hewn out of the woods’ off grid work-base. This building has come on quite a bit since i last saw it. He is such an advocate of the much maligned leyland cypress. Its light weight and durability lends itself well to cladding and shingles (as can be seen in the images) My task is to work with John to beg, borrow and steal a low-cost energy system for lighting and some spare power for re charging the power tools on the site. (PV, LED, battery and some head scratching) We also had a word about heating the building “i have a cunning’ idea but more on this in later blogs. This is one of my favourite projects currently under way. £20,000 and thousands of volunteer hours and you have a building which is growing out of the woodland. This building is to be a workshop, storage area and education room. most of the building has been harvested, milled and constructed within 200m. Sticklebarn which i blogged on last week is a stunning building and the Faenol work base is being built with the same level of care and people’s investment. According to John the leyland cypress is the new vernacular building material in the Faenol. It’s just what they had to hand and it performs to what they need. Vernacular is not old, it’s just local

The building, the roof and the cruck. The leyland roof looked superb

Could not get more ‘in the woods’ if you tried. Off grid, off water and off the track. The building, the roof and the cruck. The leyland roof looked superb

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Congratulations! You have a tiny turbine

Posted on May 21, 2013 by
...and it looks better in real life. If your into that sort of thing. Hydrolite 15kw Turgo now in place at Hafod y Llan

…and it looks better in real life. If your into that sort of thing. Hydrolite 15kw Turgo now in place at Hafod y Llan

Out at Hafod y Llan today to see the progress on the various hydros. The Gorsen or small 15kw hydro is moving at a pace. The powerhouse is now resplendent with its new 15kw Hydrolite turgo hydro. The weir take-off is the focus of the current work. Form-work (wooden former to pour the concrete in to a certain shape) is in to make screen and fore-bay tank.  We have had a bit of letdown with our grid connection offer which looks like its going to be September but grid and micro generation often make uncomfortable and long drawn out bed fellows.

Higher up the mountain and an order of magnitude bigger the 640kw hydro is progressing well. The weir site is now a hive of activity. The first concrete pour today of the slab to mount the weir and screen

Hafod y Llan first pour to get the weir slab in place. there is a lot of steel in this. but if you saw the river in spate as i did last week you would understand the steel

Hafod y Llan first pour to get the weir slab in place. there is a lot of steel in this. but if you saw the river in spate as i did last week you would understand the steel

John Millen the project manager of the large hydro near the butt fusion site. we are now down to the last six pipes. should be finished tomorrow (ish!)

John Millen the project manager of the large hydro near the butt fusion site. we are now down to the last six pipes.Should be finished tomorrow (ish!)

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Its all about sharing – ProfiadNI and Green Routines. Real sustainability experiences!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

The reason for this blog site is both to share as we learn but also to share as others learn. This is the case with two projects at either end of Wales which are currently in full sharing mode! ProfiadNI  and Green Routines. ProfiadNI (our experiences) set up by Gwynedd Werdd is holding series of ‘open door events’ across Snowdonia and Gwynedd. The purpose of which is to look at how people have ‘done stuff’ from hydros to solar, efficiency to purchasing. I hope this is the start of sharing culture including  experiences, opportunities and how to avoid the pitfalls. I am presenting at the hydro experience day on the 22nd of May at Plas Tan y Bwlch. But this is just one of many’ daysScreen Shot 2013-05-20 at 09.18.00

In S Wales from the 18th to the 30th of May kindly funded by Environment Wales and Natural Resources Wales at the  National Trusts hydro site at Aberdulais where Awel Aman Tawe are  hosing something special…

Awel Aman Tawe’s ‘Green Routines’ Installation is a celebration of hundreds of people’s decisions to cut their carbon emissions. An involving experience with sounds, puppets and audio stories from ordinary people, this installation will excite and inspire – whether you are just beginning to think about being green or whether it is the fundamental principle by which you live.

 The installation has been developed and curated by Emily Hinshelwood and Anna Smith. Dan McCallum, Awel Aman Tawe’s manager said “Over 700 people have been involved in this piece of work which is fully bilingual. This demonstrates that people want to do something positive to deal with climate change and are taking actions themselves. This installation seeks to share their experiences so that we can create a world fit for our children.”   Green Routines

If you’re visiting have a look-see if you can see my son in the images!Screen Shot 2013-05-20 at 09.21.26

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Well I never! National Trust Fit for the future work wins

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

GSB-Awards-winners-buttonLast night and in the company of some inspiring and special people and companies the National Trust team won the energy award in the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards. The award was for the ‘fit for the future’ approach developed by the National Trust in Wales
To quote the judging panel
‘Judges held the organisation up as an example of exactly what they were looking for, saying: “It shows that heritage shouldn’t stop sustainability – their approach was challenging and broad ranging – very large energy savings, moving towards energy independence, while preserving national heritage.”
Guardian Sustainable Business Awards. Mr Jones and Southall are chuffed to bits…and now back to doing stuff!

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Cheesy grins all round. Lizzy, Louise and himself. Mr Lloyd doing the honours with the camera.

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Hydro in the City: Osney Mill

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

I visited a nearby hydro project in Oxford today as part of some background research into Archimedes screw projects and learning lessons before the event rather than after.

Osney Mill is a historic mill and marina in private ownership and its owner, Tony, very kindly showed me around this morning. The mill is located on the River Thames and its weir has 1.9m of head. Two years ago Tony decided on implementing a hydro system at the same time as they redeveloped and extended the mill into city centre flats.

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The screw adjacent to the flats

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The tail and the marina in the background

Here are the numbers:

The hydro generates up to 45KW and it provides power to ten flats, three houses, a forty birth marina and one Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM)! The hydro also exports power, mostly in the summer, but utilises around 90% of the generated power in the winter. All the properties and the SAM have underfloor heating via air source heat pumps. The flats and the births are all metered. The flats are so well insulated that there is no further need for additional heating. The SAM is part of the old Osney Abbey and is used as a communal space for the residents.

A brilliant scheme and expertly project managed by Tony. The lessons were the importance of both precision civil engineering, getting the right project delivery structure and knowing all the risks from the onset.

More info on the scheme here: http://www.mannpower-hydro.co.uk/attachments/casestudies/osney-mill-job-sheet-1210.pdf

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and the next farm based PV system is in. Llyndu near Snowdon

Posted on May 12, 2013 by
we now have quite a few of there PV systems installed on our farms

we now have quite a few of there PV systems installed on our farms

Friday also allowed me to see the progress on the small 7.8kw PV being installed at Llyndu farm. The farm is over the valley from Hafod y Llan where all the hydro work is progressing. We have had a small niggle with one of the inverters but not far now from commissioning…especially with all this sun shine (Yeah right!)

Small shed, small PV. Unobtrusive - the main road is behind the shed

Small shed, small PV. Unobtrusive – the main road is behind the shed

The roof needed to be upgraded with additional purlins. Most of the sheds we have looked at probably need this additional strengthening because of the issue of wind uplift. This is because the PV wants to act as an aerofoil on your roof and the original roof design did not have PV in mind.

One thing which has dawned on us. This sort of work is now becoming ‘normal’ and not pushing the boundaries. Renewables becoming day to day…nice!

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Big hydro, small details. Hydro progressing but its the “devils in the detail”bit

Posted on May 12, 2013 by
The central pipe section with Afon Cwm Llan in spate. The measure of our success will not only be the energy produced but also the landscaping and restoration

The central pipe section with Afon Cwm Llan in spate. The measure of our success will not only be the energy produced but also the landscaping and restoration. 

Friday  i spent the day at Hafod y Llan with Senior managers on a show and tell day. This did give me some time to walk up the hydro a “few times” and look at the installation process and where we are up to. The site looks dramatic in terms of progress but also tidy in terms of operation.

Top left - one of the many silt traps installed along the length of the hydro. Upper middle - the fittings when moving from SDL 26 (26mm diameter) pipe to the 52mm higher pressure pipe. Top left - A pack of pulverised peckers BOTTOM LEFT - pipe joint number. some of the has been sent off to be tested (it too has the same number) BOTTOM RIGHT - a trail stone panel of what the weir cladding will look like

TOP LEFT- one of the many temporary silt traps installed along the length of the hydro. UPPER MIDDLE – the joint fittings for the link between SDL 26 pipe (26mm diameter) on to the 52mm higher pressure pipe. TOP LEFT – A pack of pulverized peckers BOTTOM LEFT – pipe joint number. some of bead has been sent off to be tested to ensure a strong joint (it too has the same number) BOTTOM RIGHT – a trail stone panel of what the weir cladding will look like

I also had to time to see the progress on the Gorsen 15kw hydro. the Power house is looking good. The estate Larch is looking a bit raw at the moment but it will soon grey off and fade into the background.

TOP LEFT - the tail race is now in (the pipe whihc take the water away from the turbine) I have to say Ifor is a master with turf. this was only installed a few days ago and you cant tell he has been there! TOP RIGHT - a naked interior ready for clever stuff and the turbine. BOTTOM RIGHT - dave installing estate metal fencing around the power house (we had some left over and Sir Edward Watkin had this fencing installed around the area.

TOP LEFT – the tail race is now in place (the pipe which takes the water away from the turbine) I have to say Ifor is a master with turf. this was only installed a few days ago and you can’t tell he has been there! TOP RIGHT – a naked interior ready for clever stuff and the turbine. BOTTOM RIGHT – Dave installing estate metal fencing around the power house (we had some left over and Sir Edward Watkin had this fencing installed around the area.

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