Tag: renewable energy

Robinson & Hall has recently completed an exciting project to offset carbon and reduce the financial cost of the significant power consumed by The Shuttleworth Collection, workshops, shop, restaurant, visitor centre and collection of historic aircraft by installing 263kwp of roof-mounted solar panels.

The Collection was founded in 1928 by aviator Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth. While flying a Fairey Battle at night on 2^nd August 1940, Richard fatally crashed. In 1944, his mother formed the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust ‘for the teaching of the science and practice of aviation and agriculture’.

The project was initiated by the Trustees as a consequence of crippling energy costs. We were appointed to advise in respect of the planning, practical arrangements and the contract administration for the installation of solar PV panels to the roofs of the Collection’s buildings.

These buildings are a mixture of portal frame and truss roofed hangars dating from the 1920 – 1930s era to 1998. The hangars are close to a conservation area but sit outside the designated area.

We commissioned engineers to assess the loadings on the buildings and to confirm that they were capable of carrying the additional imposed loads. The calculations confirmed that the two hangars proposed to receive the panels were capable without requiring reinforcement.

We reviewed the proposals and noted that the panels were permitted development subject to prior approval (on the basis that they were roof-mounted and not higher than the 200mm prior approval limit).

The site is close to the Collection’s airfield with views of the hangars from the public highway, so to satisfy the local authority officers that there would be no safety hazard for the airfield nor road users, a glint and glare assessment was commissioned. The assessment was prepared by independent consultants and had a satisfactory conclusion.

A prior approval planning application was therefore prepared and submitted and approved after due consultation.

David Sawford, Partner & Head of Planning, Building and Project Consultancy, said, “We were delighted to obtain planning consent for the solar panels, which will significantly reduce the Charity’s costs and go a long way to reducing the operations’ carbon.”

The provision of the solar panels required electrical upgrades to the Collection’s infrastructure including its fuse capacity to be able to export the electricity produced at times of little usage.

Robinson & Hall managed the tender process, contract administration and project supervision for the electrical upgrades and installation of the PV system.

The electrical upgrades were carried out during May with one planned out of hours power shutdown to enable connections and fuses to be upgraded, and the solar PV systems were installed in late May and early June.

At the time of writing this article (one month into the production of power), the 263kwp system has offset power usage to the tune of £28,400.00 based on the current commercial price, and has reduced CO2 emissions over the same period by 6,530kg.

It is estimated that the simple return on investment is 43% based on the current fixed commercial contract electrical rate.

If you have a high electrical usage and are considering renewable technology, we will be pleased to assist with the planning process and procurement/contract administration.

For more information, please contact David Sawford.

With the continued focus on climate change and meeting net zero targets, there remains strong interest from developers looking for land for renewable energy projects. A letter through the door from a speculative developer, with proposed terms for a battery or solar project, is now common for a lot of landowners.

At Robinson & Hall, we have renewable projects at all phases of development, from early discussions with developers on behalf of clients, to schemes in construction, to completed projects. We provide advice to landowners from the outset of a scheme, through the negotiation of the heads of terms and on to the signing of the lease and option. Where construction of a project is completed, we also assist landowners with checking the rent payments received as these can be complex where they are based on the income from a site.

One project we recently worked on was a 100 acre solar project in Central Bedfordshire. The site comprised arable land, let on an Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancy, close to a Grade I listed church and with a high voltage over head cable and underground gas main crossing the property. On first look, the project looked to have little potential, but the landowners agreed to a 6-month exclusivity period with the developer, agreeing not to speak with any other developers whilst the developer looked into grid connection and scheme feasibility.

During this time, the developer secured a grid connection and designed a scheme, leaving an area of arable land close to the church undeveloped to provide screening for the listed building. We progressed negotiation of heads of terms which included the key terms for the option and subsequent lease. We also negotiated with the agricultural tenant and agreed the compensation which would be payable if a planning consent was successfully achieved for the solar project. It was important to agree the compensation at an early stage to ensure the tenant was on board with the scheme and would provide vacant possession of the land at such time as the developer needed to start construction.

Once the heads of terms were agreed, the developer’s solicitor drafted the option agreement and lease which we and our clients’ solicitor reviewed before being signed by both parties.

Following signing of the option in September 2021, the developer secured planning consent and served the option notice. The lease was entered into in June 2023 and construction works are now ongoing on site. The rent received is 10 x higher than that received previously from the agricultural tenant with annual index linked increases. Our fees, and those of landowners’ solicitor, were covered in full by the developer, meaning the landowners incurred no cost during the project.

As well as solar projects, we have had significant interest from developers looking for sites for battery storage. As a developing technology, battery storage is being looked at as a way of storing energy produced by renewable projects so that it can be used at peak times and further reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Battery sites can either come as part of a solar project or as a standalone site. As with solar, a grid connection is vital, but the land needed is much smaller than for a solar project.

We have in recent months seen a renewal in interest for sites for onshore wind. This follows the Prime Minister’s easing of the virtual ban on onshore wind sites, which was brought in by David Cameron in 2015. Whilst planning is still restrictive, with the Government focusing still on offshore projects, developers are sensing there may be a change of policy and are looking again at sites which were being considered prior to 2015. The surveys required for wind projects take a number of years and therefore developers are looking to get ahead of any policy change by having the surveys completed and sites ready to proceed.

When weighing up whether to pursue a renewable energy project, it is important to take advice at an early stage. The negotiation of the heads of terms is key as those are the terms on which the option and lease will be based. It is also important to consider which land should be included and the tax consequences of any change of use.

For further information please contact Polly or Andrew.

According to the Government database, the first half of 2023 has seen a boom in renewable energy installations, with more heat pumps and solar panels being fitted than any six-month period in previous years.

Ofgem has found that over 20,000 households installed solar panels every month of this year so far, whereas heat pumps reached a peak number of 3,000 household installations a month for the first time. June 2023 alone had more renewable energy installations than in any six-month period in recent history. Battery technologies, allowing storage of energy generated by solar PV panels, also exceeded previous numbers.

One of our clients has taken this on board while refurbishing their home near Baldock. The house is a 5 bedroom former farmhouse, mainly constructed in the Victorian period, but with a dilapidated and disused 1970s extension. The house, situated in a remote location, had an oil-fired central heating system. In the first phase of works, a ground source heat pump and underfloor heating were fitted to the useable living space. This area was also fitted with improved floor, wall and ceiling insulation and the works were completed in December 2022. The heat pump installation took advantage of a Government grant of £6,000 under the Micro Generation Scheme.

We are now embarking on the next phase, including a full upgrade to the 1970s extension. This area will have a new pitched roof to complement the main house. Advantage has been taken to install solar PV panels on this roof and it will be linked up to a battery storage system which part supplies the requirements of the heat pump system. To complement the underfloor heating system, we have designed and specified a significant thermal upgrade to the dilapidated 1970s extension. The works include new thermally efficient windows and doors, insulated drylining, replacement ground floors and underfloor heating. This phase commenced in May 2023 and is due to finish in autumn 2023. It is anticipated that the original EPC ‘E’ rating of the house before work started will now become at least a ‘B’ rating when complete.

Stuart Brown, Chartered Building Surveyor, commented “As the cost of energy continues to grow, we are seeing more people turn to renewable technology to generate their own energy and heat at home. We are pleased to assist our clients in reducing their dependency on fossil fuels. There are still Government incentives available to phase out oil and gas boilers, replacing them with heat pumps. We need to continue to push this expansion to meet Government ambitions to reach net zero by 2050.”

For further information or to discuss your renewal energy project with our team, please contact Stuart Brown.

Opportunities to invest in renewable energy is on the increase, helped by the fact that the Government has set ambitious targets to boost the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

With a focus on maximising the efficient use of land, the strategy supports “co-located” solar projects that are developed alongside farming, onshore wind generation or energy storage, all of which present an opportunity for farm diversification.

We have been actively involved in securing planning permission for a solar farm in Central Bedfordshire and are well placed to offer sound advice and guide you through the entire planning process.

We have the expertise to assist you and will carry out a planning appraisal to assess your land for potential renewable energy development. We will ensure you take advantage of the opportunities available and make a real contribution towards mitigating the effects of climate change by generating clean energy.

We are also acting for a number of landowners looking to agree terms with solar developers on option agreements. We are therefore well placed to advise on the commercial terms of such agreements should you be approached by a developer looking for an option over your land.

For more information or to discuss your land with our planning team, please contact Abel Bunu.

The opportunity to take advantage of funding available for heating your own home is shortly coming to an end.

As previously reported, the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme finishes on 31st March 2022. This is a Government scheme which pays homeowners for heating homes by a renewable source, such as an air source heat pump, ground source heat pump or biomass.

There is not long to go before the current scheme finishes, therefore anyone wanting to apply needs to have their system commissioned and running on or before this date.

An investment in renewable technology usually requires a higher capital outlay, however the RHI payments are designed to repay this over a period of seven years. In the meantime, the occupants benefit from the technology as well as lower running costs for the property.

We have been involved in a number of domestic schemes which have already taken advantage of the tax-free annual payments which are also index linked.

One satisfied customer quotes “When my air source heat pump was commissioned, I arranged for the gas company to disconnect my gas meter. I was a little nervous about committing solely to electric heating, however last year my electricity bill was less than the previous year’s combined gas and electricity costs.” It just goes to show with careful planning and the right design, renewable technology can make a real difference.

All is not lost after March 2022. We are still waiting for the Government to announce what might take over from the current scheme. However, its rumoured not to be as financially lucrative as the current scheme.

If you are planning to carry out a major refurbishment then it will still be worth considering installing new renewable technology. This is also very timely given the Government’s goal to cut carbon emissions and the announcement that by 2025, all new homes will be banned from installing gas and oil boilers. Renewables are going to be placed at the forefront of people’s future schemes.

If you are looking to develop your property and incorporate renewable technology in your project, please contact Robert Franklin, Head of Architecture & Building Surveying, at Robinson & Hall, on 01234 362917 or email rjf@robinsonandhall.co.uk