An innovative new scheme will see wind energy being generated from Britain's street lamp-posts. The turbines will be attached to the top of the lamp-posts, producing electricity which will be fed directly to the National Grid.
Own Energy Solutions has partnered with the NVT Group and will create 25 new jobs through the pilot in the next year, which it hopes will increase to sustain 300 skilled roles within the coming three years.
The scheme uses relatively simple technology in an innovative new way, using an inverter system and small turbine to harvest wind, and it's directly linked to the Grid. As a result, the company believes that each street-lamp conversion will reduce carbon emissions by half a ton.
The deal will be worth around £3.5 million over a fifteen-year period and see Own Energy relocating to North Lanarkshire from its current location in Glasgow.
NVT's MD, Stephen Park Brown, said that the group had a great track record of working well together with high-performing teams, and he anticipated that this new venture would eclipse previous successes.
The CEO of Own Energy, David Gordon, said that he expected to see the partnership to scale up rapidly, as there are more than ten million lamp posts in the UK, and over 20pc of them are suitable for the mounted turbine technology. He anticipated that the business could generate an annual turnover of more than £400 million in just five years.
Richard Lyle, the MSP for North Lanarkshire, said that the news had been welcomed from colleagues across all political parties as a true piece of innovation that supported with cross-party green energy ambitions. He added that it would also provide meaningful financial wins for private owners and local government alike.