Retired engineer supplies households with cheaper green energy

Cheers ‘Windy Pete’! Retired engineer, 69, becomes the first person in England to supply local households with cheaper green energy from his OWN wind turbine, as dozens of rural residents join his waiting list for power

  • Pete Bailey, 69, provides 17 households with electricity from his 50kw turbine
  • The wind turbine is located on his land in Salwayash near Bridport, Dorset
  • Renewable generator covers saves each home as much as £60 per year

A retired engineer has become the first person in the country to supply local households with cheap green energy from his own wind turbine. 

Pete Bailey, 69, provides 17 households with electricity from his 50kw turbine, which is located on his land in Salwayash near Bridport, Dorset, as part of a pioneering scheme.

The renewable generator covers around half of their energy needs and saves each home as much as £60 per year.

The 69-year-old, affectionately nicknamed ‘Windy Pete’, installed his large white wind turbine ten years ago with a dream of offering power to local people.

But it proved too costly to implement until last year when he was invited to join a cooperative with householders called Energy Local Bridport. 

Retired engineer Pete Bailey, 69, provides 17 households with electricity from his 50kw turbine which is located on a field in Salwayash near Bridport, Dorset

Mr Bailey (pictured centre with locals), affectionately nicknamed ‘Windy Pete’, installed his large white wind turbine ten years ago with a dream of offering power to local people

The scheme, which was developed by the not-for-profit organisation Energy Local CIC, sees Energy Local Bridport allow householders in the area to purchase the electricity generated by the 50kW wind turbine. 

It is the first of its kind in England and organisers say it provides a blueprint for the future of green energy in rural communities.  

Mr Bailey now makes around 50 per cent more money by selling his output to the community than to a utility provider. 

And dozens of other residents have joined a waiting list for Mr Bailey’s power.

The plan, set up by Dorset Community Energy, comes after countryside campaigners slammed a huge 75 acre solar farm erected in nearby Spetisbury which will exclusively power London’s Square Mile.

Mr Bailey said: ‘I’d been fascinated by the technology for years and I tried in 2012 to supply locally but it proved too difficult so I had to sell to a utility company.

‘I’d been involved with Dorset Community Energy before when they installed solar panels on the village hall where I was chairman.

‘When it came to setting up Energy Local Bridport, they thought of my wind turbine as a very suitable ”kernel”.

‘To be able to supply to local people is very good indeed – not only does it make sense environmentally but economically too.

‘Half of what I got from the utility provider I’m making again. Before I would have had to dismantle the turbine because the amount of money I was getting simply wasn’t viable.

‘By getting more money for the energy I’m generating, it allows me to keep it for the future.

‘It’s also making people here more aware of the importance of green energy because they can see the benefits themselves.’ 

The 69-year-old supplies energy to was invited to Energy Local Bridport – a non-profit organisation that trades renewable energy between generators and consumers at a local level

Mr Bailey (pictured inside the turbine) said he had been fascinated by the technology for years 

Each home Mr Bailey supplies is fitted with a smart metre which calculates when the turbine is producing energy and when this is being used by a household.

This means that they pay at a cheaper rate for energy they use at times when the turbine is in motion, saving around 5p per kw.

On calm days when output is low, an existing utility company supplies them with electricity at the usual higher rate.

Alison Jay, Energy Local Bridport coordinator, said: ‘Energy Local clubs are initiatives which allow communities to work together and get better value for renewable energy that’s in their local area.

‘Its about giving power back to communities so that they have more control over their energy consumption.

‘This is the first of its kind in England, based on existing initiatives in Wales.

‘We knew of a wind turbine with a very friendly owner called Peter who has always wanted people to benefit from the turbine.

‘The energy it produces will be shared evenly between all the homes using electricity at that time.

‘Each house has a smart meter which shows, for example, that the turbine is generating from 10am to 10.30am and they will be charged the cheaper tariff for the energy they consume at that time.

‘If members of the club use power when the wind turbine at Salwayash is generating, they pay around 9p per kw which goes to Pete.

Each home Mr Bailey supplies is fitted with a smart metre which calculates when the turbine is producing energy

‘That’s less than the price of a normal electricity supply in Britain, but more than the generator would usually receive if he sold to the central grid.’

How does the scheme work?

Pete Bailey supplies the energy from his wind turbine to Energy Local Bridport – a pioneering initiative developed by the not-for-profit organisation Energy Local CIC. 

Energy Local Clubs enable trading of renewable energy between generators and consumers at a local level and Energy Local Bridport allows householders in the Bridport area to purchase the electricity generated by the 50kW wind turbine.

Each home Mr Bailey supplies is fitted with a smart meter which calculates when the turbine is producing energy and when this is being used by a household.

This means that they pay at a cheaper rate for energy they use at times when the turbine is in motion, saving around 5p per kw.

When there is not enough wind, an existing utility company supplies them with electricity at the usual higher rate. 

If members of the scheme use power when the wind turbine at Salwayash is generating, they pay around 9p per kw which goes to Mr Bailey.

Dozens of people applied to join the cooperative which began in September 2021 but only 17 were chosen for the initial pilot scheme.

 

Dozens of people applied to join the cooperative which began in September 2021 but only 17 were chosen for the initial pilot scheme.

Pete West, secretary of Energy Local Bridport, said they aimed to expand it to include 60 households by spring this year.

The turbine is expected to produce around 1200kw of energy for each household – almost half of their total projected consumption of 3000kw per year.

In addition Dorset Community Energy, a not-for-profit organisation, said they hoped to build a 250kw solar farm to make savings for an additional 250 homes.

Pete West, 72, said: ‘We believe this scheme is going to be a real breakthrough for green energy. As manufacturing costs become cheaper and cheaper and the cost of oil and gas continues to rice, renewable energy is becoming a more affordable alternative.

‘Not only does it save money for locals but it provides an opportunity for landowners by creating a ‘farmer’s market’ in energy.

‘The households that have been receiving lower cost electricity from the Salwayash wind turbine are only the initial pilot group.

‘We aim to have the club at full capacity with a total of 60 households within the next two to three months. They will join the cooperative which represents their collective interests.

‘The wind turbine generation is approximately 120,000 kw per year. With 50 households the amount of wind energy they consume would be roughly half that – 1,200 kw each, which is around 50 percent of their annual energy consumption.

‘Dorset Community Energy intends to add 250 kw of solar panels on an acre of land to enable a further 250 households to make savings of £70 per year.

‘We are in discussions with local housing associations about providing some of the cheap renewable energy to people on low-income in social housing.’

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