Are boardrooms green or yellow?
May 1st 2008 As energy price rises place an ever
greater strain on UK industry, Chris Porter
from Wind Direct explains that businesses
don't need to spend anything in order to
reduce both their electricity costs and
their impact on the environment
Arecent survey amongst 50 of the
UK's largest companies by
Verdantix* revealed that thinking on
climate change still has a long way to go
to become aligned with boardroom
strategy. Responses suggest that the
primary barrier to action is unproven return
on investment. To counter this, wind
energy development specialist Wind
Direct, who install large scale turbines for
on-site generation, have swept away this
excuse by providing businesses with
turbines at no cost.
Governments the world over now accept
that accelerated climate change is
happening and that over-consumption of
fossil fuels is the primary cause. Taking
action is rightly a priority for government
but as the media emphasise the global
consequences, it is easy to overlook the
fact that higher prices are seriously
damaging the competitiveness of UK
industry.
Do you have an unrecognised
asset?
The good news is that businesses can
start by looking to turn a small space of
land into a power producing asset without
any investment risk. Porter has found that
many of the companies he speaks to think
green energy comes with a premium price
tag. "The truth is that whilst it requires a
level of organisational commitment – a
wind turbine will not only reduce your
carbon footprint it will save money and
provide cost stability."
For large energy consumers, wind must
be the renewable of choice; the
economics make sense and the volume of
electricity produced is significant. Wind
Direct's concept is to install one or more
turbines on business premises and to
supply the wind turbine's electricity
directly into the site, selling the electricity
produced on a long-term contract.
Detailed investigations of the constraints
to putting up a wind turbine needs to be
carried out. For example, Wind Direct
usually keep 1/2km away from residential
housing. After assessing the constraints,
any company that still has a viable site is
sitting on something of real value.
Who's leading the way?
Wind turbines are becoming a more
common sight around the country and a
number of large electricity consumers are
taking advantage of the benefits. Eastman
chemicals started taking power from their
2 x 2MW machines in 2006. Maintenance
& Procurement manager Paul Cooper is
delighted with the outcome; "we got
involved with Wind Direct because we
saw energy prices increasing. First and
foremost Wind Direct is giving us lower
electricity prices". The Eastman turbines
supply well in excess of 10,000 MWh of
carbon free electricity each year,
improving site competitiveness and
reducing their carbon footprint.
Porter says "it's not just heavy industry
who are benefiting, we are working with
utilities, universities and commercial
property developers; this year we are
putting up the first large scale turbines on
a UK airport, at Nottingham East Midlands
Airport."
Delay will only increase costs
Porter states that top management buy-in
is paramount and many SMEs are
benefiting because they are quicker to
make decisions. Wind Direct is working
with many companies but it is only a
small fraction of those who could be
benefiting from wind energy.
The cost of carbon emissions will have
an increasing impact on our economy.
The Verdantix survey finds that
companies who are facing up to the
challenge have realised that the risks of
inaction outweigh the costs of action.
Installing a large scale wind turbine will
take a minimum of two years so
businesses who want to secure future
electricity costs need to get a move on.
The challenge to company directors is to
lead and be decisive; to be green not
yellow. More articles from Wind Direct Ltd: | 
