Ecotricity has launched a new company, called Britwind, to design and manufacture small wind turbines with the aim to almost halve the cost of producing energy compared to other small windturbines.
The windmills will be suitable for many types of landholdings from farms and rural properties, to schools, sporting clubs and small/medium businesses. Britwind will have both vertical and horizontal windmills in a range of sizes, with two new designs due on the market next year:
- The V6 – Vertical-axis 6kW windmill – known as the Urbine.
- The H15 – Horizontal-axis 15kW windmill.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince stepped in to save Evance Wind when they entered administration in May 2014, after recognising the potential of their new wind turbine design 90% of the way through development. Ecotricity already had a small vertical-axis turbine – called the Urbine – at a similar stage of development, so the two new windmill designs are going through final accreditation under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, before they launch onto the market next year under the Britwind banner. A new factory in Gloucestershire will provide an end-to-end service all under one roof – from designing and manufacturing the wind turbines, to gaining planning permission, installing and maintaining the turbines, through to selling excess electricity that’s not used.
