According to the company, small-scale wind developers will rely on published wind data when making site decisions, rather than the extensive on-site wind measurements conducted for larger projects because of the nature of project size.
To reduce the uncertainties inherent in reliance on published data, it has developed techniques and models to factor in location specific information that includes local features and obstructions.
Paul Gardner at Garrad Hassan said: “It is anticipated that the UK will have 750,000 sub-5MW small-scale renewable energy projects, including wind and solar, by 2020. Of these, around 25,000 are expected to be of sufficient size to justify project-specific specialist consultancy services.
“In response to this, we have honed our existing services, for larger commercial projects, to offer the support required for a successful small-scale wind or solar project of up to 5MW; this will allow developers to maximise the benefits of the Feed-In-Tariff system which DECC aims to have in place in April this year.”
Garrad Hassan said like any larger commercial project, small-scale wind and solar photovoltaic projects will require the sourcing of suppliers and equipment, contract negotiation, and grid connection, with all its relative processes and regulations. The company claims that with its experience, it can assist developers of any size of project to negotiate through the project lifecycle.
