Some hot tips on energy saving from the team at Clumber Park

 The Team at Clumber Park have recently started to really focus on their energy use, and more importantly, how to reduce it.  They are already seeing some fantastic results – so well done all!

The Catering Team have cut the monthly electricity use by 25% by:

  • Behavioural changes – everyone in the team is playing their part in making sure equipment and lights aren’t left on when not in use
  • Old ovens and dishwashers have been replaced with new efficient ones
  • Refrigerated equipment is being serviced regularly, which helps to maintain efficiency levels
  • Only switching on the hot pass just in time for food service to begin (rather than at the start of the staff shift)
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Mike, Catering Team, with the new efficient ovens

 The Cleaning Team have been able to reduce energy use at the Cricket Ground toilets by a staggering 31% just through one simple measure – reducing lighting dramatically.  The lights, which are on a timed switch, are monitored, so as mornings and evenings get lighter the cleaning team have ensured this timer is set appropriately so that energy is not being used unnecessarily.

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Jonny, Cleaning Team, with the new hand driers

The property has also just taken delivery of a batch of Dyson Air Blade hand dryers for all the public toilets, which are highly efficient and hygienic. So we hope to see ongoing improvements too.

 

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Its been a week of sharing…but thats what we are all about

Filming hydros for Ffermio. S4C farming program which was looking at hydros

Filming hydros for Ffermio. S4C farming program which was looking at hydros

Not so much doing the work but sharing what we have learnt

  • Monday and a chat with Grant Piesely from Gwynedd Werdd on our progress to date and how our community energy work could gain from working at a more county strategic approach
  • Tue Morning and filming with the BBC to look at the political challenges and progress of developing the Green economy in Wales. Afternoon and hydro tours with NT lawyers to show and tell. Meet the communities, see the projects and understand the challenges for the charity of this ‘new’ opportunity and work.
  • Wed and 200 people guided around the renewable energy projects at Hafod y llan. seeing under the bonnet, meeting the team, suppliers, contractors and communities

Follow link 

  • Thursday – all day with Laura Shack (another person drafted in to raise awareness and share as we learn) We also had a the renewable energy manager from National Trust for Scotland down looking at how we approach the development of renewable energy systems
  • Fri Morning with Welsh Government to look at opportunities for strategic development but also to see where we are going in the short to medium term. Afternoon and filming again with the Welsh Language Farming program “Ffermio” Nice afternoon filming hydros and looking at what the opportunities and challenges were

    Wed at Hafod y Llan and 200 people learning, sharing and networking

    Wed at Hafod y Llan and 200 people learning, sharing and networking

This sharing takes time but is essential if the renewable energy sector is to be ‘normalised’ and becomes the first option for energy and sustainability rather than the green bolt on and the reserve of specialists

Oh and Tue we have a Cameraman over at Hafod y Llan filming the Hafod y Llan hydro!

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Anatomy of a hydro weir… It’s not a damn!

From the left. 1) Flow or level sensor on the left (the pole) the central screen harvests 50% of the remaining water. The cover on the left of the screen is removed in winter for an additional amount. On the right is the hands off flow. this notch is lower than the main screen

From the left. 1) Flow or level sensor  (the pole) the central screen harvests 50% of the remaining water after the ‘hands off flow’ amount . The cover on the left of the screen is removed in winter for an additional amount of water. On the right is the hands off flow. This notch is lower than the main screen . The penstock (pipe)  can be seen on the bottom left of the image

Whilst over at Tan y Coed on Friday I had a look at the lovely new weir for his farm hydro. Thought I’d have a go at explaining the function of a weir. There are quite a few  misconceptions around a weir or as its incorrectly called a ‘damn’.  The function of a weir as part of a hydro system is to ‘sort out’ the water. Its design decides how much to leave in the river (hands off flow) and how much of the rest of the water that can be harvested. The weir also decides the power output of the turbine (a level or flow sensor on the weir governs the spear valve (jet) on the hydro turbine in the valley below. The weir usually does not hold water back like a dam and its function is to get the water into the pipe. Behind the weir is usually filled with stones (gives less surface area for the water to push on the weir wall). The screen on this weir is made of stainless steel with drilled holes to allow a certain flow rate. The two screens built ta Hafod y Llan have a coanda screen fitted which is much more expensive but is self-cleaning under most circumstances (they don’t like pine needles though) But for Edward at this site it’s not really a hardship since he has a track passing the weir point and uses his high-tech cleaning device to keep the water flowing from the suspended peat in the water which wants to block the holes

cleaning-the-screen

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Hafod y Llan open day – Laura’s perspective

Rob on the mountain working down. Slowly slowly. Snowdon summit in the background

Rob on the mountain working down. Slowly slowly. Snowdon summit in the background

Follow the link – Hydro, Helicopters and lots and lots of rain

Hafod y Llan open day and what we are all about

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…and there is another one completed. Hydro NT farm

Edwards with his twin jet 72kw Hydrover Turgo. As it was explained to him " The noise inside the turbine building was the sound of money"

Edward with his twin jet 72kw Hydrover turbine installed by Greenearth Hydro. As it was once explained to him ” The noise inside the turbine building was the sound of money”

Edward Richie the NT tenant at Blaen y Coed farm jokingly thinks he might now want something that his neighbours won’t want . Lots and lots of rain. Edward has been generating his own hydro electricity now for six weeks. The 72kw turgo Hydro just down hill from his farm-house on the Ysbyty Ifan Estate has cost around £150k. This significant capital outlay should be paid back in four to five years. “why wouldn’t you”? . Long time in planning and gaining permission but short time in building with local contractors. The hydro turbine itself comes from Bridgend. At one time being on the roughest and highest farm on the estate did make farming a challenge but it also the site where all the hydro ingredients came together. Three phase power supply, decent stream, access track along the stream and also outside of the SSSi. Edward is now eyeing a 20kw PV system but as the old Welsh saying goes “Diwedd y gan yw?r geiniog

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Hafod y Llan NT renewables open day

200 people and me in my best wells. Arwyns idea of using the biodegradable seating! one day under the visitors and the next will be under the cattle!

200 people and me in my best wellies. Arwyn’s idea of using the biodegradable seating! one day under the visitors and the next will be under the cattle!

Rain, mist, 200 people and more renewable energy technology that you could shake a stick at. This was the open day at Hafod y Llan yesterday. We had invited 200 or so people who had shown an interest in our work over the last few years. Scotland and Ireland were well represented as well as quite a few NT colleges from across England and Wales. The rain came down in buckets but this added to the day. John, Dave, Arwyn, Paul, Alison, Karen, Jayne, Wynn…the list goes on an on in terms of the people who made the day special and possible. The vision behind the day was to share what we have all learnt in terms of process, technology, funding, operating the large array of technology installed at the farm. We also wanted people to see aspects such as the large hydro whilst it’s in its installing phase and before it is hidden and buried for the next 100 years. It would be hard to grasp the amount of work involved in installing this technology unless you get to see and talk about the process (nothing beats seeing a mile of large pipe) It was a day of Anaerobic digesters, biomass, large and small hydro, PV, electric vehicles LED and the list goes on. I think we keep forgetting the sheer amount of work which has been and is being installed at the farm. The aim of the work at the farm is to grow our own energy but also to show a small glimpse of a farm which in terms of energy is harvesting something different but also sorting itself out in terms of energy efficiency. Think we will do this again!

There was some special kit at the farm as well. From this exotic Tesla electric sports car to Clifford Jones showing us their prototype timber PV frame

There was some special kit at the farm as well. Exotic Tesla electric sport car thanks to Kevin at ZeroCarbonWorld who supplied us with the EV charging points. Clifford Jones showing us their prototype timber PV frame (worlds first with a 25 year warranty)

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Rush…ing for biomass. AD biomass maker coming to NT Hafod y Llan

Blue Conrad. This is coming to Hafod y Llan in Nov. Can we turn a problem into an opportunity?

Blue Conrad. This is coming to Hafod y Llan in Nov. Can we turn a problem into an opportunity?

The open day at Hafod y Llan seems to have gone down well with all. Part of the day was a presentation by Andy Bull of the Seven Wye Energy agency who along with Cwm Harry and the National Trust are all working on the Interreg supported pan European ‘Combine’ project. in essence its an IBBS anaerobic digestion powered biomass briquette making process. Sounds simple! We are interested because of the possibility of being able to test and research the use of problematic soft rush, gorse and bracken crops. We hope it might deliver a viable biomass supply which will utilise land which is currently of low biodiversity value but the process of management could increase this ecological value whilst delivering a valuable, low-carbon biomass fuel alternative. Other possible feedstocks include highway verge arisings which are also being evaluated by partner countries. Much much more to come on this when we start harvesting later in the summer  and then hosting the machinery later in the year. The project will be evaluated economically, ecologically and whole life (carbon for example) Exciting times!

The IFBB process

The IBBS process – harvesting, ensiling, washing, pressing

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