LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Green firm’s fatal flaw: ‘Blades liable to fly off our turbines’ 

Credit:  By Frank Urquhart, The Scotsman, scotsman.com 17 September 2011 ~~

A Scottish renewable energy company went into receivership with the loss of 55 jobs yesterday as hundreds of wind-turbine owners were warned to shut down the company’s machines amid fears that the blades could fly off.

An estimated 500 people in Scotland, mainly farmers, are believed to operate the small wind turbine, manufactured by Ayrshire-based company Proven Energy, which is at the centre of the major safety alert.

And engineers have warned that the potentially catastrophic shaft defect could cause built-in braking systems to fail and the turbine blades to fly off in a worst case scenario.

Proven Energy had already suspended all sales of the wind turbine earlier this week. Yesterday, it was announced that liquidation experts KPMG had been called in by the directors of the financially troubled company.

The move comes the day after Pelamis, another Scottish renewable energy firm, announced it was ready to seek financial backing to manufacture commercial- scale wave farms off the coast of Scotland.

A spokesman for KPMG said: “Blair Nimmo and Tony Friar of KPMG have been appointed joint receivers of Proven Energy at the request of the company’s directors.

“The company recently suffered a significant setback following the identification of a defect in its P35-2 model, which although management believes is minor and can be repaired, resulted in advising customers to temporarily cease using it. As a result of the product issue and the inability to obtain necessary additional funding, the directors had no option but to cease trading.”

The company has a manufacturing facility in Stewarton and an administration and design office in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, and employs 75 staff across both sites.

Mr Nimmo the head of restructuring for KPMG in Scotland, said: “Unfortunately, with limited manufacturing taking place, 55 staff have been made redundant with immediate effect. We have retained 20 employees to assist us and prepare the business for sale.”

Mr Nimmo added: “Proven Energy is a well-known brand in the small wind sector having been established for more than 30 years.

Although Proven has achieved substantial turnover growth in recent years, the company has made significant losses as it focused on product development, making it difficult for the business to cope financially with the cost of the product failure

“We are hopeful that a sale of all or parts of the business and assets can be achieved and would encourage any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible. We are working with government agencies to ensure the redundant employees obtain as much assistance as possible.”

Earlier, a spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union Scotland revealed that about 500 of the generators at the centre of the safety alert had been erected in Scotland.

He said: “We are urging all those who have installed Proven 35-2 wind turbines to heed the manufacturer’s advice and place their wind turbines on brake as soon as it is safe to do so. The news that a major turbine manufacturer has gone into receivership is a blow to the renewables industry in Scotland and leaves many farmers who have erected or plan to erect Proven turbines uncertain of the way forward.

We already have a dialogue with one major supplier who hopes to be in a position to issue more information next week.”One of the farmers affected by the safety alert, Fred Hendry, who farms near Alvah in Banffshire, said he had been using the wind turbine since June last year.

He said: “It was a lot of money for me, roughly about £50,000. I’ve a lot of questions about what happens now as it is supposed to be under guarantee.”

Source:  By Frank Urquhart, The Scotsman, scotsman.com 17 September 2011

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon