Ambassador Case Study January 2010

January 2010 - Dochgarroch P6 and P7 Pupils Visit to Fairburn Windfarm and Torr Achility Hydro Station

Ambassador: Robin Burnett, Scottish and Southern Energy

Date: Thursday 26th November 2009

On a wet and windy (some would say miserable) day in November a group of P6 and P7 pupils from Dochgarroch Primary school experienced the raw wind and water resource of the Scottish climate and obtained a first hand impression of why the country is ideally suited for renewable energy generation.

Fairburn Windfarm and Torr Achilty Hydro Station are situated in close proximity to each other in the Conon valley. Our visit illustrated to the pupils how two very different forms of renewable energy generation are constructed and operated.

Our day commenced at the windfarm which was in the final stages of commissioning. There we were guided by Martin Fraser of RE Power (wind turbine supplier) and David Brown of RJ Macleod (principle contractor).Both Martin and David were able to provide the pupils with an understanding of the technical challenges involved in constructing a windfarm whilst also covering the basic principles of operation of a wind turbine. The pupils were then able to consider aspects such as the amount of power each turbine could generate; the effect of windspeed on power output; the speed of the blade tips; how the power was exported, etc. The weather may not have been conducive to encouraging group discussion out of doors but it certainly provided a stark appreciation of why windfarms are built on the top of hills.

Later that day we made the short journey to Torr Achility Hydro station where Graeme Veitch,and his team from Scottish and Southern Energy, provided an excellent schematic overview of the principles of operation of the station and the wider Conon hydro development. Following a question and answer session we had a guided tour around the power house and dam. The pupils were encouraged to consider the contrast in electricity generation methods with the windfarm. Pupils were also provided with an overview of how the water within the Conon hydro schemes was utilised many times to generate electricity, as it cascades over a total fall of 255m through the catchment . The importance of the hydro schemes in flood control management was outlined and the environmental aspects were considered, including some not so obvious points of interest, for example that every fish is photographed. The visit to the two sites gave the pupils an understanding of renewable energy generation and the weather on the day demonstrated how Scotland's natural resources can be utilised!

Thanks to:

Martin Fraser:RE Power

David Brown: RJ MacLeod

Graeme Veitch and staff at Torr Achility Hydro Station: Scottish and Southern Energy