Forgen Renewables are the brand and technology leaders for the manufacture of micro scale vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT’s).
Our company also offers a complete one stop shop for all your off grid lower power requirements including off grid solar, micro scale wind turbines, deep cycle AGM and GEL batteries, charge controllers, intelligent solar LED site lighting and many other accessories to suit your off grid low power needs.
Our products have been developed from our extensive knowledge and understanding of working in very diverse environments. With 1000′s of installations worldwide we continue to develop and enhance our offering to meet our customer needs. Continuous product development and improvement plays a key part to our strategy, coupled with a desire to be flexible and energetic in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Forgen® Renewables was formed in June 2010 following a trade and asset purchase of the Forgen® vertical axis wind generator range from Gloucester based Goodridge Engineering Ltd.
The background and track record behind the Forgen® dates back to 1986 when the first Forgen® wind turbine was installed on a boat to provide a trickle charge to the boats battery bank. Following this early installation some years ago, there are now thousands in use in various applications around the world.
Forgen® Renewables has invested heavily in further development of the product range. In 2012 the business also signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Leadsun Technology, a world leading solar LED manufacturer to introduce unique second generation solar LED site lighting into the UK. As with all good technology companies the business continues to seek ways of improving and adding to its product range as demonstrated by the introduction in 2013 of our complete one stop shop for off grid power including off grid solar, micro scale wind turbines, deep cycle AGM and Gel batteries and charge controllers.
Forgen® Renewables vision, mission and strategic actions define the aspirations and strategic direction of the business. They provide an overview of the priorities of the business and help define how we interact with each other, our customers, suppliers and our partners.
Vision
To be a leading provider of renewable energy products and solutions
Mission
Strategic Actions
Forgen® Renewables has developed a 4 point strategic plan that is intended to assist in achieving our vision and mission goals. Our strategic plan consists of the following key strands:
Further specific actions have been and continue to be developed within the business relative to each strategic strand. These are also used as part of our internal and individual appraisal system.
Forgen® Renewables adheres to the international quality standard ISO9001:2008. Our policy includes:
Quality Policy Statement
The Management of Forgen® Renewables is proud of its reputation for providing a first class product and service to its customers.
Our Quality Management System has been written to fulfil the requirement of ISO9001 (2008) and our own customer’s requirements.
Forgen® Renewables aims to exceed its customers expectations through continuous improvements to its Quality Management System that will be of benefit to both our business and its customers.
All employees of Forgen® Renewables have key roles in maintaining and improving the quality of service provided to its customers and are required to comply with the procedures and instructions laid down in the Quality Manual.
Forgen® Renewables strives to undertake all its activities in a safe manner that protects its employees, customers and suppliers. Health and Safety forms a key part of our mission.
Forgen® Renewables is committed to continuous improvement in reducing negative environmental impacts and fostering the positive behaviours and practices that create an environmentally sustainable workplace.
Environmental Policy Statement
The Company strives at all times to adapt an environmentally friendly attitude to all aspects of its manufacturing operation and complies with the appropriate directives.
All the company’s waste material is disposed of via regulated companies that can exhibit the appropriate certification for the disposal of the relevant raw materials, solvents, lubricants and packaging.
All packaging materials are selected and used with regard to their ability to be environmentally acceptable and recyclable by the end user or their disposal agents.
Forgen® Renewables is committed to a policy of continuous improvement in both its business operations and product development. Our products provide our customers with a safe, tried, tested and proven solution that meets their power management needs.
The Forgen® strategy includes tapping into the significant knowledge that exists within universities through collaborative working. Examples of such collaborations include the various projects underway or completed with many universities using undergraduate, post graduate, internships or commercial collaborative agreements.
All our Forgen® wind turbine models undergo rigorous wind tunnel testing to assess the effects of various different configurations of design. The business has secured access to an independent large scale wind tunnel test facility for high wind speed testing which has complimented our own small scale wind tunnel test facility at our headquarters in Clevedon, UK.
Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modelling continues to form a cornerstone of product development on the aerodynamic design of the rotors. The outputs of which are used to determine the best all round solution for our customers to provide the best possible solution at a price that meets the market needs. Other software modelling for electrical stator efficiency and lab based empirical testing also performs a key function within the overall product technology strategy.
RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE MOST
DIVERSE
ENVIRONMENTS
Forgen® 500 NT High Performance
Micro Wind Turbines
Forgen Renewables provide zero battery downtime on Norwegian off-shore Fish Farms.
In 2007, the Norwegian Coastal Administration brought in new regulations for warning lights on offshore fish-farms. The regulations required a new type of light signal with a duty cycle of 62% ON with visibility of 2 – 3 nautical miles.
Norwegian Electronics Company, Fupe Systems, designed a state of the art warning light with GPS synchronized flash for use in off shore applications which included a solar panel as a means of charging the battery power source.
These units were located on the anchor buoys on the fish farms of Marine Harvest, the Norwegian based world’s largest producer of farmed salmon.
However, due to the high power consumption of the light and the sun light hours being restrictive, the solar panel output was insufficient for 100% operation. Wiggo Edvardson of Fupe Systems comments, ‘we decided to upgrade the system to include a ForgenTM wind turbine to charge the battery along with the solar panel. Since the upgrade the lights have been running 100% without any failure. Our experience shows that a solar/wind hybrid solution has been a success and keeps the battery charged day and night’
About Marine Harvest
Marine Harvest is the world’s leading seafood company offering farmed salmon and processed seafood to customers in more than 70 markets worldwide.
The company is present in all major salmon farming regions in the world and the biggest producer of farmed salmon with one fifth of the global production in addition to fresh and frozen salmon.
Marine Harvest offers a wide range of value added products such as coated seafood, ready-to-eat meals, delicious finger food and smoked seafood. Though salmon is the main farmed product, the company also farms trout and white halibut.
Benefits
Forgen® 500 NT High Performance
Micro Wind Turbine
Forgen Renewables partner with SailTime to introduce an eco-friendly sailing option to its client base.
Leading innovative boat membership provider, SailTime, has partnered with Forgen Renewables in providing an eco-friendly option of sail ownership. The companies have collaborated on the inclusion of a hybrid wind solar solution for the sole provision of power management to one of its fleet.
Sarah Collinson, Base Manager at Poole and Lymington comments “we are always seeking to provide options for our client base that meets their needs. We have seen a growing interest in environmentally sustainable power solutions and we are frequently asked about wind and solar. We see the interest levels only increasing and are please to be working with Forgen Renewables on such a solution. The low noise and vibration coupled with a safer solution to our recreational boat owners pushed us toward a vertical axis wind turbine solution over that of the horizontal type design”
She commented further “the Forgen wind turbine provides a trickles charge to the 12V domestic battery on board which powers the majority of the electronics and appliances including the navigation equipment, TV, microwave, fridge and heating. This eliminates the need for shore power so our Members can still use the appliances and not have to worry about draining the battery even when they are at anchor or out on a mooring”
About Sailtime
SailTime offers an innovative new approach to sailing and boat membership that makes it easier, quicker and more economical for aspiring skippers to take the helm of a beautiful, well-equipped sail or powerboat. Founded in 2001, in Austin Texas, SailTime quickly grew to 40 bases in North America. European expansion began in 2004 with the first base in Hamble, UK and has since rapidly expanded to 15 European bases. Since its early beginnings, SailTime has beenproviding fractional sailing on 30ft —50 ft sailing yachts.
Benefits
Forgen® 500 NT High Performance
Micro Wind Turbines
Forgen Renewables works with Nexus Alpha Low Power Solutions on bus shelter signs power management
The first CHRONOS bus signs from Nexus Alpha Low Power Solutions have now been deployed in the UK.
Nexus Alpha Lower Power Systems has been developing CHRONOS for several years. It operates on solar energy, with the option of including a wind turbine (as in the installation shown below). This version has been designed specifically for use at bus stops.
CHRONOS saves energy, saves carbon emissions and therefore saves money as it requires no mains power. And as it includes GPRS connectivity it is far less costly to install than traditional sites as no local fixed line services are needed at all (neither power, nor communications).
But CHRONOS is not compromised: it is sophisticated, can handle a wide range of information and is DDA compliant. Solar and wind power is seen as a benefit and not as a compromise. This is true on many different levels.
NALPS preferred wind generator type being the vertical axis units provided by Forgen Renewables and as illustrated as these are intrinsically more robust they are harder to damage and cannot over-speed (they are used by the British Antarctic Survey so come with a good pedigree).
Vertical-axis wind turbines are more robust than the alternative “windmill” style and are harder to damage. They are also immune to overspeeding which means they do not need to be locked down in high winds.
Wind Turbine Specification
The small Forgen 500NT was used by Nexus Alpha Low Power Solutions to provide additional renewable power capacity to a 50w solar panel. The specification required a high performance, low noise, intrinsically safe and no overspeed in extremely high wind conditions.
Forgen Renewables offers a range of small scale micro wind turbines specifically developed for remote applications and where there is a desire and a need to reduce grid connection costs.
Benefits
Forgen® 1000 Extreme High Performance
Micro Wind Turbines
German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS) uses the Forgen® 1000 Extreme to assist offshore power management
One of the crucial components of a tsunami early warning system is a reliable real-time data set providing information that can assist in determining the level of danger to affected coastal regions and populations. What makes the data more difficult to capture and use is the uncertainty surrounding the adhoc nature of tsunami producing events such as tectonic plate movements or submarine landslides as a consequence of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
To detect the tsunami wave front and the wave height, off shore instruments are essential. Offshore instruments are used to determine the sea level height and the deviation from normality (anomalies) with a high level of accuracy. GITEWS developed a series of offshore buoys to record a range of data such as GPS, air pressure and the water temperature. Furthermore the buoys are used as a relay station for ocean bottom pressure sensors, which are anchored on the ocean floor.
The buoys are equipped with meteorological sensors, movement sensors, a computer for data processing, a power supply unit with solar panels and the Forgen 1000Ex wind generator as well as with GPS and a satellite antenna for the communication between the buoys and a warning centre. The integration of these different sensors ensures the security of the system. The deployment of 10 buoys is planned along the Indonesian coast line within the GITEWS project.
BACKGROUND TO GITEWS
Directly after the disaster of the Sumatra earthquake of December 2004, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) commissioned the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centre with developing a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean.
A joint Declaration of BMBF and RISTEK, the Indonesian research ministry, formed the basis of the co-operation. In addition the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is also co-ordinating contributions from further countries to the overall system for the Indian Ocean.
Benefits
Forgen® Renewables Livesun 3605
Intelligent Solar LED Lights
In September 2012 Forgen Renewables signed a distribution agreement with Edmundson Electrical Ltd for their range of intelligent solar LED lighting systems. Since the deal, Forgen have been involved in a number of projects, working alongside various Edmundson branches across the UK to supply their customers with an environmentally friendly, cost effective alternative to traditional street and site lighting.
One of these projects was a new six house residential development at Tranby Lane, Anlaby (see site plan, left). The developers decided to explore alternatives to traditional street lighting so approached ERD Edmundson in Hull who presented the Forgen product as an alternative. The 3605 model was chosen from the Livesun ’All-In-One’ range by Edmundson for optimum light output across the site.
Following the success of securing the Tranby Lane project, Forgen commissioned an independent Quantity Surveyor to estimate the price differential between the two options considered by the developers and their subcontractors. The results of this exercise are presented below:
(NB: the following assumptions were made: Mains power would be available at the Tranby Lane site from the adjacent highway and a spur would be taken off the mains to power the street lighting)
Traditional road lighting scheme costs
| Unit price* | Quantity | Total | |
| 6m Columns with SON | £550.00 | 6 | £3,300.00 |
| Cable Joints | £80.00 | 6 | £480.00 |
| 3C Cable (m) | £5.00 | 100 | £500.00 |
| Cutouts | £35.00 | 6 | £210.00 |
| Flex (m) | £2.00 | 50 | £100.00 |
| Concrete Bases | £375.00 | 6 | £2,250.00 |
| Total Cost | £18,340.00 | ||
Excludes electricity board connection
* All unit costs quoted are those used by a recognised, national multiservice engineering business
Livesun 3605 road lighting cost
| Unit price | Quantity | Total | |
| Livesun 3605 ‘All in One’ light units | £750.37 | 6 | £4,502.22 |
| Light Columns | £100.00 | 6 | £600.00 |
| Concrete Bases | £375.00 | 6 | £2,250.00 |
| Van and Cherry Picker | £1,000.00 | 1 | £1,000.00 |
| Total Cost | £8,852.22 | ||
Total installation cost savings = £9,487.78
Total percentage savings = >51%
Capital Cost Savings:
Running Cost Savings:
Edmundson and their customer chose the Livesun 3616 ’All-In-One’ street lighting option; a standalone 36W Solar PV with 16W LED Lights at six locations across their site (see site plan overleaf).
Features and Benefits:
Solar Lighting Reduces Electricity Costs
Livesun XEON+, 5W LED / 18W PV
About GV Engineering
Greg Vlamakis, Managing Director for GV Engineering recently expanded his already successful operation by moving into a larger factory that could accommodate his need for more machinery to keep up with the increasing demand. However, Greg noted that with the addition of several new heavy industrial machines he had to re-evaluate his electricity power usage as the machinery often runs around the clock.
The challenge
As apart from his move to a new factory, Greg was also keen to reduce his business’s carbon foot-print without compromising the day-to-day operation for his steel fabrication work. An easy and economical solution was to replace the existing mains powered 400W metal halide security lighting that was set up around the front of his property; With the Six light fittings having an energy consumption of 2400 Watts and being used 12 hrs each evening, Greg saw an opportunity to investigate solar lighting as a viable and alternative means to reduce the business’s carbon emissions.
Outcome
“I didn’t think we could make any difference to our carbon emissions because we have such high dependence on electricity for our machinery, but replacing our old car park and security lighting with a self-sustainable lighting system was an obvious solution; It gives me pride knowing that we are doing our bit for the environment without compromising our day to day operation”
Greg Vlamakis
Benefits
Solar Lighting for Pathway and Car Park
Redevelopment — Livesun GEN2, 10W LED/18W PV
About Aspendale Senior Citizens Club
The City of Kingston is located in Melbourne’s southern bayside area supports the Aspendale Senior Citizens Club which is a ‘Council-controlled infrastructure’. The club is administered by volunteers and offers an active recreation program for older persons and people with a disability.
Due to the frequent use of the facility and to improve public safety, the council allocated funding for the re-development of the rear car park and lane way area just prior to the end of June 2011.With only limited funding available, it was initially deemed improbable that the council could also afford to illuminate the car park and laneway area’s with the initial proposed lighting scheme; City of Kingston’s Capital Projects Team Leader Mr. Rob Savoia then investigated using solar lighting as possibly a more cost effective lighting solution.
The Challenge
To provide the City Of Kingston with an alternative and cost-effective lighting solution to accommodate a limited lighting budget; Also to adequately illuminate an important stretch of laneway for the safe thoroughfare of elderly people during the evening.
Outcome
“Leadsun’s lighting system was fully installed within the councils funding allocation whilst delivering high level illumination along the laneway and car park areas; it will allow active and safe use during the evening. As more funding becomes available, the solar lighting can be implemented around other similar ‘Council Controlled Infrastructures’ to improve public safety.”
Benefits
RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE MOST
DIVERSE
ENVIRONMENTS
Address:
Unit 34
Hither Green Industrial Estate
Clevedon
BS21 6XU
UK
Telephone: +44 1275 400570
Email: info@forgenrenewables.com
Registered Office
Enterprise Development Centre, Clevedon Hall Estate, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 7RQ
Company Number
07262509 (Registered in England & Wales)
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Forgen Renewables to Attend Ecotechnology Show in June
Forgen Renewables, the one stop shop for off grid lower power requirements, is pleased to ...
