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News - Sandhills Primary wins national energy award
June 2008: An Oxfordshire County Council school which has recently installed a 5kW wind turbine has won a top Ashden Award for sustainable energy. The head teacher and a pupil from Sandhills Primary School collected the runner-up UK award for schools promoting sustainable energy. Sir David King, the guest making the awards at the National Geographic Society in London, pointed out that the running had been extremely close as Sandhills was pipped to first prize by Ringmer College, also in the South East.
Alongside the renewable energy source that TV Energy helped to introduce to the School, an explanatory video shown at the ceremony explained how the school has initiated an imaginative and effective energy strategy. For example, their scheme for reducing fossil fuel and electricity consumption actively involves the staff and particularly the schoolchildren in a fun and memorable way.
Every year the Ashden Awards recognise schools (amongst other organisations) that can demonstrate they have, over a period of more than a year, made actual energy savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and possibly generated renewable energy. More information on Sandhills Primary’s success is available here www.ashdenawards.org. |
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Wind brings energy to Sandhills Primary's pupils
The School was already an award-winning place for its carbon-busting energy management policy and performance, and saw a zero-carbon energy source as the next logical step. With financial support from utility company EON as well as Oxfordshire CC, and with advice from TV Energy, they have made the project a reality. Visible from the A40 as you enter Oxford, this is the first turbine from this manufacturer in Oxfordshire.
March 2008: Oxfordshire County Council's Sandhills Primary School in Headington, Oxford, now has an Iskra turbine with a nominal power rating of just over 5 kW. This 9-metre hub-height renewable electricity generator is expected to produce around 6,000 units of electricity every year, more than the average home uses. It was officially opened by local MP Andrew Smith in a ceremony at the end of February which was well attended by school visitors, children and staff.
Sandhills' is also only the second school turbine in the county, after Berinsfield Community Primary. Subject to the planning process, some other schools and institutions would be able to install even more productive and economic wind turbines than these. While not all sites have the wind resource or the physical exposure to justify investing in a turbine project of this scale.
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Politician blown away by Berinsfield school turbine
Dec 06: Boris Johnson, MP is pictured here looking highly impressed with the new wind turbine at Berinsfield School, Oxfordshire. The local member of parliament was attending the official launch of the 6 kilowatt turbine, which has started supplying the school with clean energy to cover a significant proportion of its annual electricity demand.
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Boris Johnson at Berinsfield |
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Bracing Berinsfield
September 2006: The South Oxfordshire village of Berinsfield, near Wallingford, has a new landmark to be proud of; a 15m-hub-height 6kW Proven Energy wind turbine. The turbine is situated at the village Primary School and is feeding energy direct into the school buildings, and into the grid at times of low on-site demand. It is expected to produce around 9,000 kWh (units of electricity) per annum and will be officially opened by local MP, Boris Johnson, on November 24th, 2006.
The first of its kind in Oxfordshire, the turbine was funded by South Oxfordshire District Council in an attempt to offset increased carbon emissions from new path and street lighting provision within the village. As the turbine is located at the school, Oxfordshire County Council have also been fully involved and borne some of the costs of installation. This is the second example of these local and county councils working together on a renewable energy project - the first being support to the hydropower installation at Sonning Mill - which brings commensurate benefits to both organisations, the school and local residents.
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6kW wind turbine at Berinsfield Primary School, Oxon.
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