Accolade Wines

A fantastic but challenging project that overcame the WMS, recieved local support and provides behind the meter power to Euorpes largest wind bottling plant.

Industrial sites such as Accolade Park are ideal candidates for wind turbines. They’re where the electricity is needed, are removed from residential properties and are far less prone to the aesthetic sensitivities that often stand in the way of planning approval.

This is particularly true since the Written Ministerial Statement from June 2015 imposed a new and restrictive set of planning regulations in England.

Fortunately, Bristol’s local planning authority was enlightened enough to see beyond a literal interpretation of the WMS. Despite the city having no specific site allocations for wind energy development in its city plan, their Core Strategy included a target of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and identified Avonmouth as “having significant potential for renewable and low carbon energy installations”.

The turbine for Accolade Wines set a precedent that could see many more heavy energy consumers committing to on-site turbines to power their businesses – expanding the potential for onshore wind development in the UK.