1. Renewable Energy Possibilities for Ardrossan Allotment
Sophie Gribben
Science Baccalaureate

2. Project Overview
For my Science Baccalaureate I decided to investigate the possibility of a wind turbine for the Ardrossan Allotment site
The site currently runs on a generator, but this is not producing enough power for both cabins
It is also not sustainable, unlike renewable energy

3. Wind power I chose to investigate wind power for a number of reasons
Turbines produce electricity day and night
They take up less space compared to solar panels
The allotment site is exposed enough to produce a good yield of power, whilst still being protected from direct blasts of wind straight off of the coast
I will also briefly cover solar power in this presentation

4. Power needed
The Allotments currently use around 6kW of power when all appliances are switched on
The breakdown is detailed as follows:
Strip lights: 10 x 18 = 180
Heaters: 3 x 2000 = 6000
Kettle: 1 x 1800 = 1800
Projector: 1 x 300 = 300
Laptop: 1 x 50 = 50
Printer: 1 x 10 = 10
Total = 8340 Watts
This means the turbine will be around m tall

5. Cost-Benefit Analysis
The estimated price of the turbine is between £20,000 and £30,000
The site as a average wind speed of 6.5m/s
So the amount of power produced would be around 18,000 and 19,000kWh per year
Feed-in Tariffs
The government will pay 8.26p per kWh
This will generate around £1500 per year to pay towards the cost of the turbine
Excess energy can also be fed into the power grid to generate more revenue
This means the turbine will pay for itself during its 20 year lifespan

6. Grants and Loans Available
There are a number of grants and loans available to help with the initial cost of the turbine:
Our Place Funding
Climate Challenge Fund
Greggs Foundation – Environmental Grants
M&S Energy – Community Energy Fund
Naturesave Trust - Community Renewable Energy Grants
Pure Leapfrog Community Energy Loan

7. Siting of the Turbine
In accordance with the Town and Country planning (General Permitted Development) (Domestic Microgeneration) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2010:
The turbine must situated 100m away from any other buildings
The design and size must be approved by the local authority, and in some cases the siting and external appearance of the turbine also
More information can be found at: f

8. Survey Results
I sent out a short survey to gather public opinion on the use of wind turbines
I asked the following:
What is your relation to the allotments?
Do you think the Ardrossan Allotments should be powered by a wind turbine?
Why/Why not?
What height range do you think would be suitable (unobtrusive but still generating power)?
Have you got any concerns about a wind turbine being installed?

9. Alternatives
While the response from the survey was overwhelmingly positive, there was a few suggestions for alternative sources of power
The main alternative suggested was solar power
To produce the same yield as the turbine:
Around 15 panels are required
The panels will have to be placed away from trees or shade
They will have to be cleaned of any fallen leaves every couple of months

10. Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who has played a part in this project
Dr. Cannon, my assessor
Mrs. Gilmour and the Three Towns Growers group
John Watson of Strathclyde University
The local community