Our students come from an amazing variety of backgrounds bringing a diverse range of experiences, which contribute enormously to the whole learning experience. Each week 'Student Stories' will feature one of our amazing students and explore the work they do and their reasons for studying at the Graduate School for the Environment

CAT Graduate Robert Macpherson graduated from the REBE course January 2010, since then he has gone on to work on getting permission and setting up turbines on Ministry of Defence land. The MoD has targets to reduce carbon emissions under the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE)

The MoD gets connected to wind energy

A new wind turbine has recently been installed by the MoD at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School. It marks the first grid connected wind turbine to be installed on land directly owned by the MoD. It will not only provide the school with a long-term sustainable electricity supply, but also provide the children with a valuable educational opportunity to learn about carbon reduction technologies and renewable energy. CAT graduate Robert Macpherson managed the installation project.

Background:

The Duke of York’s Royal Military School is an independent boarding school for the 11-18 year old sons and daughters of Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force serving personnel. The school is located on 150 acres of attractive parkland, which includes numerous listed and historic buildings, on the South East coast just outside the port of Dover, Kent, South East England. The school is an active member of the ‘Eco Schools’ programme.

The MoD has targets to reduce carbon emissions under the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) framework. The Land Forces Sustainable Development Action Plan (SDAP) has a target to obtain 10% of its electricity from renewable sources; furthermore, the Army Utilities Directive includes a specific target to generate a percentage of its electricity from renewable sources. Robert Macpherson, the Army’s Energy Manager based at the HQ 2 (South East) Brigade, investigated the potential for developing wind energy on MoD land.

Planning:

Robert started the process back in January 2008 with a site survey to identify a location that was windy, exposed, away from obstructions such as trees and buildings, safe and close to an electrical ‘grid’ connection point. The position of the turbine had to cause minimal noise and visual impact. After considering all of these points a suitable location was identified. Robert approached e-on sustainable energy to carry out a more detailed site appraisal. Their report confirmed that the site was feasible and they recommended a suitable wind turbine, provided costs and a programme of work. A formal business case was submitted to the Army HQ (Land Forces) and they agreed to fund the project. Robert then attracted a 50% grant towards the installation costs from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP).

The wind turbine size, type and location was agreed in May 2008, it was important to establish early contact with the Defence Estates (DE) Safeguarding team to verify the affect on aviation interests, including radar interference. The DE safeguarding team responded in June 2008 with confirmation that the proposal did not adversely affect any MOD operations. The planning application was lodged with the Local Council in August 2008. The Local Council received no objections to the proposal – unusual for a wind energy project! Planning permission was granted in February 2009 with the condition that a noise survey was carried out on site.

A noise survey was carried out and the report (September 2009) confirmed that the predicted noise levels were well within the levels set out in the relevant guidelines. The project was given the official ‘go-ahead’ by the Local Council in October 2009.

Resettlement Training

Those who have served in the armed forces are entitled to receive financing resettlement training, a number of our students at CAT previously served in the armed forces. More information can be found here or contact one of our student support officers here at CAT.