With our team of experienced engineers and technical staff, Green Cat Renewables can provide the full range of support services in the development, construction and delivery phase of renewable energy projects. The scope of work required is always tailored to each project and client. This is crucial in the current renewables climate of reduced subsidies, and ensures an economical delivery of the project.
Our Engineering team is fully supported by Green Cat Contracting, Green Cat Geotechnical, Prelec electrical contractors, and our Technical and Environmental department who provide invaluable input and advice through all phases of the project development.
We have built up extensive experience working with planning authorities, public bodies, landowners, communities and private developers and investors. We have good working relationships with; statutory consultees including SEPA, SNH, WOSAS; highly specialist private consultants and contractors; wind turbine suppliers Enercon, Nordex, EWT, Senvion, Gamesa and Vensys; and hydro turbine suppliers such as Gilkes, Hydrohrom and Cink.
Our experience as Client Engineer includes:
We have considerable experience in the assessment of contaminated land issues. It is imperative that potential issues are identified and assessed realistically at an early stage in planning in order that the implications are fully understood and costs minimised.
Services we provide include:
Our engineers are experienced in the design and optimisation of wind, solar or hydro projects over many scales and locations, with often very specific site-specific challenges.
The process of good design is an iterative one which utilises the results of site-specific environmental assessment work, GIS constraints mapping, observations from site visits and site investigation, buildability, stakeholder and regulatory authority input, public engagement, input from the technology provider and the resource of the site.
We have successfully completed a range of Due Diligence technical reviews: wind projects from new 80kW single-turbines (typically as part of a portfolio) to refurbished 225kW single-turbines, to new 27.6MW wind farms; solar projects from 30kW roof-top (typically as part of a portfolio) to 15.1 MWp solar farms; and hydro (100kW to 2MW).
Through such work, Green Cat has developed close working relationships with the following: manufacturers (including EWT, Gamesa, REPower and Enercon), banks (including Close Brothers, Clydesdale Bank, Triodos and RBS), solicitors, power distributors, Local Authorities, and various contractors. We take a proactive approach to working together with investors, advisors, developers and stakeholders to mitigate technical risks and enable financial close.
Scope items typically include: Planning, including noise; Energy Yield; Technology Supply Contracts; O&M Contracts; Balance of Plant Contracts; Site Conditions; Grid Connection; Ofgem Accreditation; Site Visits and Inspections. Our role is completely tailored and depending on the requirements of the funder, we can carry out due diligence on a specific issue or a comprehensive review of the whole project.
Green Cat Renewables has undertaken Environmental Impact Assessments on a wide range of wind and hydro projects.
Our capabilities include:
In addition, our Environmental Planning team has built up a wealth of experience dealing with statutory consultees including SNH, SEPA and Historic Scotland. Our broad understanding of planning requirements and long established relationships enable the team to quickly find effective solutions to manage planning risk.
We are technical experts in carrying out Energy Yield Assessment for wind, solar and hydro schemes across the UK, informing project benefits to assist in the financing process in a cost effective and flexible manner.
In most cases we would suggest undertaking a feasibility study to understand the resource and constraints your particular site has. Our team has vast and varied experience of 420+ unique sites which means we have hands-on experience in dealing with, and finding solutions for, a wide range of often complex environmental, technical and engineering constraints.
A feasibility study and assessment would generally include the following:
A proposed plan for the development of the project would be set out which then leads into the project design phase.
We have extensive experience in all aspects of geotechnical assessments, from scoping of ground investigations and drilling boreholes, through in situ and laboratory testing to interpretation, advice and liaison with regulators and other professionals.
To satisfy the demanding requirements of a wind turbine, adequate site investigation is essential to evaluate the bearing capacity, amount and rate of settlement, stress, and deformation, overall stability, durability and dynamic behaviour of the foundation. The best site investigations are designed to provide sufficient technical information in the most economical manner. We work closely with the turbine manufacturers and use our knowledge of suitable techniques in the anticipated ground conditions to ensure best value for money.
Primarily used to support the design and construction of wind and hydro projects, the geotechnical team can also provide a stand-alone service to clients for a wide range of projects, from a single house to large industrial developments.
We have the electrical engineering capability and experience to support connections across all types of renewables generation projects. Our team of electrical engineers and grid specialists provide technical expertise and advice on all aspects of the project from initial feasibility to the date the site becomes live for both distribution and transmission connections.
We provide clients with connection support including:
In the current environment the network is heavily constrained which is causing standard connection offers to be expensive as well as being several years into the future. In these cases we undertake a project by project assessment into the associated constraints. Our good working relations with DNO’s built over many years across a wide range of projects assists us in working in conjunction with the respective DNO’s, to provide innovative and flexible grid connection solutions to overcome these constraints to allow a cheaper and earlier connection.
We are also actively involved in hybrid generation, combining renewables such as wind and solar or combining renewables with storage or non-renewable generation. As the grid evolves there is a greater need for less intermittent generation. These Hybrid system provide a more stable generation profile in comparison to isolated renewables installations. The hybrid solution therefore allows optimisation of new or existing grid connections.
Utilising our broad in-house capabilities and experience, we are able to offer the full range of expertise necessary to take a hydro scheme from inception, through feasibility, obtaining necessary consents, tender of civil, mechanical and electrical works, procurement of all components, to construction and completion. In doing this we always maintain good communication and working relationships with clients, councils, contractors and other official bodies such as SEPA, SNH, WoSAS, DNO Bodies, OFGEM etc, to ensure our projects progress efficiently – on time and on budget.
Services include:
Landscape & Visual Impacts are amongst the most critically assessed area of any renewable energy development and in particular wind projects. The Planning and Environmental Department within Green Cat Renewables has an experienced team of Landscape Consultants and Graphic Technicians. The team has supported the delivery and assessment of almost 200 renewable energy projects, ranging from small-scale wind turbines, to large commercial wind farms, solar parks and hydroelectric schemes. As well as supporting the overall planning team in project delivery, standalone LVIA, Residential Assessment and Visualisation work can also be undertaken. All work is carried out to current standards as set by SNH and relevant Local Authorities, utilising the latest software and technology, such as GIS Mapping, ReSoft Windfarm and Augmented Reality Real-Time Visualisation software.
Our Landscape Consultants are experienced in the following:
Our Operations and Management team can provide tailored management and active monitoring of operational wind and solar projects. This service aims to maximise the potential of your operational renewables project. We are very flexible on scope and each O&M contract is completely tailored to your requirements.
Problems can and do arise with operational projects. We are especially experienced in troubleshooting and problem solving at any stage. Early monitoring of data from commissioning will provide early indications of issues.
Active performance monitoring, gives you the peace of mind and reassurance that everything is running smoothly and at full potential, giving you maximum return on your investment. A typical scope of O&M services would include:
Green Cat currently manage twenty-seven projects including:
We always aim to be flexible on scope and tailor the service to customer requirements. A variety of platforms are used to monitor the sites, ranging from in-house tools to manufacturers’ own software and other third party systems.
Other management services include:
We have considerable experience in the assessment of mining issues and the design and supervision of remedial works to cope with mineral stability issues to allow development to proceed. Services we undertake include:
Having taken more than 200 projects through the planning process in the last eleven years, Green Cat Renewables has developed a broad range of expertise in pre-planning and post-construction noise assessment, with a pro-active approach to assessing and addressing noise related issues.
Our dedicated team of noise specialists has developed significant experience of noise assessment including measuring wind turbine sound power levels, identifying faults using noise measurement, construction noise assessment and designing noise insulation solutions for plant enclosures. The team has supported in the delivery of over 200 wind projects through the planning phase, in addition to providing ongoing post-construction monitoring services for planning compliance and complaint investigation through the operational phase.
In house capabilities
With our dedicated team of Environmental Consultants, Project Managers, Engineers and Technical Specialists, the Planning and Environmental Team can provide the full range of support services, tailored to your needs, to economically deliver small to large scale wind and solar PV projects from initial feasibility through to planning consent. In addition the team are supported by the GCR Engineering, Technical Services and Geotechnical Departments who provide invaluable input and advice through all phases of the project development.
The team of project managers has built up considerable experience working with planning authorities across Scotland and England. This in-depth knowledge of local planning policy and the established relationships with planning departments and officers has meant that almost 90% of our consented developments were able to be determined at a local level. The benefit of this to the project and client is that timescales and planning risk are both significantly reduced.
Our broad understanding of planning requirements and long established relationships enable the team to quickly find effective solutions to manage planning risk.
In addition the team has built up a wealth of experience dealing with statutory consultees including SNH, SEPA and Historic Scotland.
Services offered by our planning team include:
The team of project managers have built up considerable experience working with planning authorities across Scotland and England. This in-depth knowledge of local planning policy and the established relationships with planning departments and officers has meant that almost 90% of our consented developments were able to be determined at a local level, the benefit of this to the project and client is that timescales and planning risk are both significantly reduced.
An important aspect in the development of any renewable energy project is public consultation and community engagement. Our business was formed to serve the smaller scale locally owned and community owned renewables market and public engagement is central to the success of this type of project.
Green Cat have significant experience in:
In addition we are able to provide specialist Residential Visual Amenity Assessment (RVAS) for residential dwellings closest to the proposed development. With the aid of real-time visualisations via iPad software we are able to show local residents a real-time image of how a proposed development will appear in the landscape.
We undertake site and laboratory testing of soil and rock for the renewables industry and a wide variety of development types, including housing, conventional buildings, roads and commercial developments.
Our skills and procedures span a wide range of capability in site and laboratory soil, rock and aggregate testing.
Site testing:
Laboratory rock and aggregate testing:
Laboratory soil testing:
