Abundance Generation offer SOLD OUT!
UPDATE: Monday 24th August
SOLD OUT! - We'd like to extend a big THANK YOU to our new investors and the dedicated team at....
Following the huge success of our Rogershill Farm investment offer last year, we've teamed up with Abundance Generation Ltd again and have today launched our latest debenture based offering on our Talbot Farm wind turbine in Gloucestershire.
Full details are available on the Abundance web site including the prospectus and interactive returns calculator.
Why have we done this?
Before applying for planning permission we held a public meeting in Dryham where we made two promises about community benefits:
- To donate a fixed percentage of gross annual income to the parish for the lifetime of the wind turbine.
- To offer a direct investment opportunity so that nearby residents can benefit financially as well.
Who are Abundance Generation?
Abundance are an award winning crowd funder specialising in renewable energy projects. Started in 2011 they are fully regulated by the UK FCA and offer debenture based investments starting at just £5.
The Guardian
Photograph: Felix Clay
This weekends Guardian newspaper featured an interview with John Zamick and Bob Carnell of distgen talking about the challenges for the UK on-shore wind industry in light of the anti-wind stance of the newly elected Conservative government.
Despite a few factual slip-ups the article paints an accurate picture of the current state of play in which everyone is waiting to see exactly what materialises from the anti-wind pre-election rhetoric.
The full article can be found here.
1st Talbot Farm Community Payment
It is with great pleasure that today we announced our 1st community payment to the parish of Dyrham & Hinton from operation of our Talbot Farm wind turbine. The interim payment of £2,000 covers the just the first quarter of 2015 and during a period where the turbine still had a few teething troubles and so we expect next years payment to be MUCH MUCH BIGGER!
We understand the funds have already been committed to purchasing two new gazebos for community events hosted within the parish. Given the British weather we suspect they will get lots of use!
This brings total community donations from distgen wind turbines to over £25,000.
#PayingItForward
3rd Rogershill Community Payment
It was with great pleasure that we made our 3rd annual community payment to the parish of Bere Regis in Dorset this week. With the Rogershill Farm turbine operating at near 100% availability over the past 12 months we've been able to donate the sum of £6,194 which takes total payments to over £16,000 since switch-on!
At their most recent Parish Council meeting councillors noted
"We were delighted to receive another grant from Distgen, the owners of the wind turbine at Rogers Hill, for £6,196 to put towards Council use. It was decided at the meeting that we would split the grant and put £3,500 towards the valuable village NeighbourCar and Salt and Pepper Lunch Club schemes, and the remaining £2,696 would go towards the much needed upgrade of the footpaths along Souls Moor to prepare for heavier use once the new school is open."
Community payments for Wanstrow/Witham Friary (DG004, Somerset) and Dyrham/Hinton (DG005, South Glos) are expected very shortly.
#PayingItForward
Tories - "Get ready for shale"
Today's announcement by the Tories that they will do everything in their power to stop any further on-shore wind turbines has been labelled as "pandering to potential UKIP voters" by many. By announcing the future policy now, so far ahead of next years election they also hope to damage investor confidence which could in turn see bank lending for such projects dry up. A double whammy.. Go Dave!
But, look at what else you'll be getting should a majority Tory government be elected. Energy minister Nigel Fallon has been doing his best to promote fracking saying:
"The message is: get ready for shale"
Mr Fallon is urging communities around the country to "get behind fracking" touting the 65,000 jobs it will create. No mention of the same number currently working in the wind industry that would loose theirs. In December 2013 Mr Fallon said he wants to see 2/3'rds of England opened up for fracking.
In January the government rushed through pro-fracking planning reforms despite massive opposition in the Lords with the aim of making it harder for local planning authorities to block future shale gas developments. In today's announcement they plan to do exactly the opposite for wind energy development and make it much easier for plans to be blocked by local councils and the minority of vocal objectors.
Its clear that a majority Conservative government would be a disaster for UK plans to become self sufficient with renewable energy. Remember shale gas is not renewable and will continue to contribute towards climate change. On that very subject we forget at our peril the latest warnings from the IPCC:
"The impacts of global warming are likely to be severe, pervasive and irreversible"
Meanwhile energy experts the world over agree that on-shore wind energy is by far the cheapest and easiest large scale renewable technology. In trying to kill it in favour of shale gas the Tories are showing their true colours - and they 'aint green.
Much more expert reaction to the news can be found here.
Pickles in hot water after refusal
Communities secretary Eric Pickles faces legal action after overruling HM Government planning inspectors to refuse a wind farm development by Ecotricity. The proposed four turbine wind farm near Highbridge in Somerset had been supported by both local planning officers and the Inspectorate who agreed that despite significant impact on the immediate landscape, it would be able to accommodate the development which would, at larger distances still appear quite small.
Mr Pickles agreed with with these points but decided [and this is key] without actually visiting the site himself that the intermediate landscape would be affected to a level that was not offset by the environmental benefits of the scheme.
A spokesman for Ecotricity said: "Following a review of the secretary of state’s decision to dismiss our appeal for four wind turbines at West Huntspill, and in particular aspects of the decision-making process relating to landscape and topography at the site, we have decided to challenge the decision."
The result of this high court action will likely set a precedent for this and other similar cases where Mr Pickles has overruled planning inspectors which appears to Ecotricity, to represent political interference in the planning system as summed up by Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity, who said
"Mr Pickles’ decision is a political intervention in the planning process - it's anti-wind posturing as all his interventions in the planning process have been, and par for the course from this government.
We've worked diligently through the entire planning process, passed every test, including a public enquiry - only to have our application refused by a man that knows nothing on the subject, and cares even less. What faith can anyone have in the planning process when this can happen, when the rules are thrown out of the window on a whim?
If the recent floods have taught us anything it is that climate change is real and we need to do all that we can to abate the carbon emissions that cause it. Our government doesn't seem to get that. It hasn't just cut flood defence spending, it's blocking the renewable energy schemes that can help tackle the cause of flooding."
South Glos says yes to amendment
Having won our planning appeal for permission to install a mid-size 500kW wind turbine at Talbot Farm last year we are delighted that our subsequent amendment to increase the size of the turbine has been passed by South Glos planning officers.
The revised permission sees the rotor size increase from 39m to 52m. As a result the expected annual electricity generation will almost double from approximately 1200MWh to 2000MWh per year.
The site at Talbot Farm lies close to the villages of Dyrham and Hinton and is designated both Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite these designations both the planning inspectorate and now South Glos note that the effect of the M4 motorway is "colossal" and the additional harm a wind turbine would cause in this location is far short of significant.
Clean bill of health down under
Last week the Australian Medical Association (AMA) published results of their own research into the health effects of wind turbines. The report concludes:
"Infrasound levels in the vicinity of wind farms have been measured and compared to a number of urban and rural environments away from wind farms. The results of these measurements have shown that in rural residences both near to and far away from wind turbines, both indoor and outdoor infrasound levels are well below the perception threshold, and no greater than that experienced in other rural and urban environments.
Individuals residing in the vicinity of wind farms who do experience adverse health or well-being, may do so as a consequence of their heightened anxiety or negative perceptions regarding wind farm developments in their area. Individuals who experience heightened anxiety or diminished health and well-being in the context of local wind farms should seek medical advice."
The full release can be read here [LINK]
DG004 installed!
Finally after months of delay due to the record wet weather, site conditions improved enough to allow final erection of our wind turbine in Wanstrow, Somerset.
Despite some morning fog the turbine was craned into place in just two days. The turbine will now be fitted out internally and then commissioned hopefully by early next week.
Brayton Park turbine granted at appeal (again)
Today the Planning Inspectorate have decided to allow our appeal for the mid-sized wind turbine at Brayton Park, Aspatria in Cumbria.
Previously we had already won an appeal for a similar sized wind turbine at this site but had not been allowed to make any modifications to the permission without submitting a new planning application - which predictably led to refusal by Allerdale planning committee members (despite another recommendation to allow by planning officers) and a hence another appeal.
Residents of Allerdale may perhaps be wondering whether the council is spending their money wisely in their continued obstruction of any and all wind energy related applications. Previously it was leaked that the council had spent 80 thousands pounds fighting (and loosing) multiple appeal cases.
Naturally we are delighted by this decision and look forward to Brayton becoming our 6th operational turbine.
The inspectors decision can be downloaded here.