Renewable Energies

Weardale Outdoor Centre has harnessed three forms of Renewable Energy to create a more sustainable development. Not only will they provide a guaranteed green energy source for heating and electricity in the centre itself, they will also be a working example to the general public of how to apply them. Electronic data will be available for visitors to view and students can integrate this information into their studies. With the assistance of Grant money from the Wear Valley Renewable Energies Programme, the Weardale Outdoor Centre has acquired and installed a Wind turbine, Biomass Furnace and Solarthermal Roof Panels.

BioMass Furnace provided by Talbotts of Staffordshire.
SolarThermal Roof Panels provided by Eco enerG of County Durham.
Proven 6kw Wind Turbine provided by Eco enerG of County Durham. 

The solarthermal panels heat the water for the centre through a system of capillaries under the black surface of the highly absorbent panels. Even during the winter months the panels are able to get the water temperature to room temperature and above. Achieving these water temperatures through regular means normally uses a large amount of energy but with the solarthermal system the power of the sun proves more than sufficient.



The BioMass furnace is a Nordica Extra Flame LP20 which is a modern way of producing clean hot water and heating using ecological fuel from a sustainable source. The furnace burns Pellets that are manufactured from a sustainable Willow Coppice in Selby, Yorkshire by VERTECH.  










The Wind Turbine is manufactured by Proven and supplied by Eco enerG of Staindrop, County Durham. The 6kw model and stands around 9m tall. Electricity is created when the wind rotates the blades, which in-turn rotate brushes around a copper superconducter. The friction causes charge and electricity which supplies the centre. During times when the centre isn't in use and the turbine is producing electricity that will be sold back onto the grid ,which contributes to supplying homes in the area.  

View the turbines energy production by clicking the link below:
Past 24 hrs: http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPage.aspx?page=b342159c-4c40-4106-b6d8-39ef1b60c814
Total Energy: http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPage.aspx?page=5bdaeb4a-5ed3-4e7e-a1ca-bc9e9ab757a3

You can compare the turbine results with the wind speeds recorded by the metoffice at newcastle:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ne/albemarle_latest_wind_graphs.html