JCE supports Greyhope Bay Project

March 2020 - JCE offers full support to Greyhope Bay

After conducting an initial feasibility study of the site next to the Torry Battery, we pledged full support in the design & manufacture of a robust power system which would compliment the viewing platform and cafe to be built using recycled shipping containers.

With no grid connection available on site, supplying power to the remote facilities remains a challenging aspect of the project and one which we have valuable experience in.

Initial project challenges:

• No onsite power or water
• Visual impact of wind turbine
• Impact on historic monument
• Undesirable fossil fuel approach
• Analysis and prediction of facility energy consumption

Initial proposal: Hybrid Power System

• Solar
• Battery
• Advanced control system
• 2 x 1kW wind turbines
• Remote system operation / monitoring

Our Chairman, Jim Craig, discusses the challenges and proposal for the project with Greyhope Bay MD, Fiona McIntyre, in this video interview.

April / May 2020- Proposal Challenges

When the initial proposal was submitted, historic Scotland rejected the wind turbines due to the visual impact on the community.

This was subject to a site visit to assess the situation and review the equipment involved, which was inevitably delayed by the impact of COVID-19.

A revised proposal has since been presented and accepted in order to allow the project to proceed.

To facilitate this shift in the reduction of power availability, a silent generator is to be installed to charge the batteries during night-time hours with the battery system increasing accordingly.

We proceeded to detailed discussions with GHB to determine an acceptable load level for the facility, with adjustments made to ensure the equipment was going to be viable and practical.

Artist's impression of the original proposal which included wind turbines

The Battery Charger was also delivered (completed) and will be utilised both at night or during periods of no sunlight to ensure the battery is sufficiently charged to supply reliable power to the loads in the facility.

Jim Craig, Chairman of JCE Energy, and Fiona McIntyre PhD, Founder and Director of Greyhope Bay, with the Solar Panels

Filtration Unit

August 2020 - Delivery of Filtration Unit and Silent Generator

The Filtration Unit collects rain water and has filtration capabilities to make it suitable for drinking. The unit has low energy consumption (works on an on-demand basis) and a compact design (the dimensions of a domestic fridge). The design of the Filtration Unit makes it suitable for off-grid applications, where it cannot be connected to the water mains.

The Silent Generator was also delivered in August. It is an integral part of the system as it will be used to re-charge the batteries during periods of darkness, or in the event that abnormal high energy consumption is causing the batteries to deplete quicker than expected.

The system is designed to work automatically, using a PLC, which constantly monitors the system parameters (battery voltage, energy consumed and generated) in order to optimally re-charge the batteries, guaranteeing the constant energy supply.

The purpose of the Solar Charge Controller is to give additional charging capacity to the batteries from the sun. It collects the solar irradiation during the daytime and transfers the energy into the system. This additional energy is coming from a complete renewable source (the sun), providing the first step in achieving a truly sustainable facility.

The Power Inverter Unit transfers the voltage from the batteries (DC Voltage) to the load (AC Voltage), allowing the equipment to run on the same power supply which you would find in your home.

(System components)

(Completed Power Cabinet)