Rolliers Development Project

Important Notice

We’ve been buzzing with excitement as the local community has shown tons of love for this project! We’ve even spotted a few octopuses and bits of info popping up in ads and around town.

To keep things clear and smooth for future plans, we’ve gathered all the official info from Octopus Energy Generation right here, including posters and leaflets shared with households.

Want to learn more? Pop by the Rolliers Public Consultation on 8th October, 10am-7pm, at Bigbury Memorial Hall, where our team will be happy to chat!

Can’t make it? Email us at rollierswindturbine@octopusenergygeneration.com or reach out to octopusfanclub@octoenergy.com for Fan Club specific info. 🐙💚

Updated: 26/09/2024

At Octopus Energy Generation, we’re on a mission to build green power for the future. We’re supercharging the green energy revolution with initiatives like the Octopus Fan Club and Plots for Kilowatts. These projects are all about more localised, people-powered wind energy.

Together, we’re making clean, green energy happen faster than ever before.

Plots for Kilowatts

Plots for Kilowatts got hundreds of enthusiastic landowners excited about hosting a turbine on their land, helping them diversify their incomes and create new revenue streams. This initiative also brings awesome benefits to local communities through our Octopus Fan Club.

Know anyone who’d love to host a turbine? Apply to Plots for Kilowatts here!

Check out our latest development at Rolliers, a fantastic onshore wind project brought to life thanks to Plots for Kilowatts!

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Project Overview

At Octopus Energy Generation, we're busy preparing a planning application to develop a single wind turbine in Bigbury Parish, near Kingsbridge, South Devon.

But we can’t do it without you! We’re inviting everyone to share their thoughts on our development proposal. Join us for an in-person public consultation at Bigbury Parish Memorial Hall on Tuesday, October 8th, from 10am-7pm. We’d love to hear your feedback and chat about the project!

Once we have hopefully secured planning permission and the new turbine is up and running on the national grid, it could tap into some of our awesome customer perks. For example, it could become one of our Octopus Fan Clubs - more info on this below!

On top of this, we’re planning to offer a community benefit fund of £5,000 a year for the life of the project. We’re still figuring out the best way to make this happen locally, so stay tuned for more details!

The project aligns with the Bigbury Net Zero Plan by delivering clean, renewable energy that could reduce the carbon footprint of local people, engages the community in the planning and renewables process, and sparks further renewable energy initiatives in the area. It’s a key milestone in advancing Bigbury’s sustainability and climate goals.

Project Specifics

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Location Challon's Combe Farm

We’ve found the perfect spot at Challon's Combe Farm, Devon. With wind speeds of 6.5 m/s at 50 meters, it’s ideal for generating clean energy. It’s more than 500 meters from any homes and just 1.2 km from the B3392 road, nestled between St. Ann’s Chapel, Aveton Gifford, Bigbury, and Modbury. For a closer look at the location, check out our download files.

Turbine EWT DirectWind 61

The wind turbine we plan to put on site is an EWT DirectWind 61 model. This efficient wind turbine features a 61-meter rotor diameter and a 59-meter hub height, with blade tips reaching up to 89.5 meters. It’s designed to generate up to 1 MW of clean energy, enough to power around 900 homes. It’s another step toward delivering greener and cheaper energy to you!

Why Rolliers?

Rolliers stood out to us for several key reasons:

  1. Distance from homes: The nearest dwelling is 600m away, ensuring minimal impact on the local community.
  2. Away from busy areas: It's tucked away from major infrastructure, roads, and footpaths, making it a discreet and ideal location for a turbine.
  3. Strong wind speeds: With wind speeds of approximately 7m/s at hub height (54m), Rolliers is perfect for harnessing consistent wind energy.
  4. Grid connection: We’ve secured an excellent grid connection offer with no upgrades or delays, allowing us to connect quickly and efficiently.
  5. Balanced energy: Wind generation here will perfectly complement the solar energy produced at Kingsbridge substation, creating a balanced renewable energy mix.
  6. Existing infrastructure: No current grid reinforcement is anticipated to connect to the local network.
  7. Community support: We've seen a significant number of Fan Club applications from local residents keen to host wind turbines in exchange for electricity discounts, showing strong community backing for the project.

Rolliers ticks all the boxes for both performance and local support, making it the ideal choice for our next wind project.

The Octopus Fan Club

Customers living close to one of our Fan Club turbines can sign up to receive discounts on their electricity bill.

Using their own personal dashboard and forecast notifications, members can monitor their local Fan and shift their energy consumption to the times when it’s cheapest and greenest.

Community support is vital when it comes to the development of onshore wind projects. Add yourself to our Fan Club waiting list today and be the first to know when we launch a Fan Club in your area!

Be a part of the green energy transition and help us to move towards a cheaper and greener future.

Here's what our current Octopus Fan Club members have to say...

At first, I was sceptical about the savings I could make. I was staggered when the savings were credited to my account. I now keep my eye on the fan club regularly and try to use my washer and dryer.

I'm really impressed with Octopus and how they are helping our local community save money . It has helped me feel closer to the turbine and understand how they work.

I think the Fan Club is a brilliant idea. Not only does it make me think about how and when I use energy but it is also helping in the battle with climate change and saving me money as well, win win all round.

Considerations

At Octopus Energy Generation, we’re busy preparing our planning application with help from a fantastic team of expert consultants. We'll be investigating ecology & biodiversity, landscape & visual, heritage, transport, noise, radar & telecommunications and flood risk & drainage. We're diving deep into these detailed technical surveys and assessments to ensure our application is top-notch.

Noise

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Our ongoing noise assessment, follows strict guidelines to ensure we’re looking out for you and your neighbours near the proposed turbine site. We're all about keeping noise levels in check during both construction and operation, so you can enjoy the benefits without the bother.

Landscape & Visual

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We've partnered with HCUK Group to carry out a comprehensive Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA). This vital assessment ensures the project harmonises with the local landscape and minimises any visual impact on the surrounding area.

The assessment has involved a mix of detailed desk-based research and on-site visits to identify key viewpoints where the turbine might be visible, in the context of the local and national landscape. We're committed to making sure the turbine’s design and positioning blend as seamlessly as possible into the landscape.

Key factors considered include:

  • Impact on designated landscapes: This includes sensitive areas like the South Devon National Landscape (formerly AONB).
  • Visibility from public spaces: We're closely examining views from public rights of way (PRoW), walking routes, and coastal paths.
  • Natural screening: Existing vegetation, terrain, and buildings play a role in reducing visibility, and we've taken this into account.

An initial Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) analysis was conducted to estimate where the turbine could be seen. While the turbine might be visible from certain spots, natural barriers like trees and hills will significantly limit actual sightlines in many cases.

We’re creating wireframe models and photomontages to show what the turbine will look like from key locations, giving a clear and realistic idea of how it will fit into the landscape. This helps ensure everyone can see exactly how the project will look and feel before it’s built.

As part of the planning process, the LVIA will be submitted, detailing our findings and any mitigation strategies to minimise visual impact. We’ll also be sharing these results with local stakeholders, offering the public a chance to provide feedback through the consultation phase.

Check out our download files for the Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV).

Ecology & Biodiversity

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We will be conducting a Preliminary Ecological Assessment (PEA). This will cover a habitat survey and desk study, giving us some initial recommendations for further surveys and monitoring. We’ll also be carrying out additional bird and bat surveys to make sure everything's in tip-top shape. And the best part? We're committed to ensuring at least a 10% biodiversity net gain for the project!

Radar & Telecommunications

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We will carry out the necessary surveys for Radar and Telecommunications. We’ll share the scope of the study and its findings here.

Heritage

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We will be prepping a Heritage Impact Assessment to look at the significance of historic buildings, complexes, areas, monuments, or archaeological sites (heritage assets). This assessment will check out how the proposed wind turbine might affect these heritage assets and their surroundings. We'll be sharing the findings of the Heritage Impact Assessment with you right here soon!

Shadow Flicker

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We are conducting a Shadow Flicker Assessment to check out the flickering effect caused by wind turbine blades casting shadows over neighbouring properties through windows and other openings. Depending on the results, we might need to install a Shadow Flicker Prevention (SFP) System on the wind turbine to make sure no properties in the area experience unacceptable shadow flicker. We’ve got you covered!

Transport

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We have teamed up with Via Solutions to assess the best possible routes for transporting turbine components from major roads to the project site. This thorough evaluation aims to ensure that the selected route minimises disruption to local communities while being safe and efficient. Via Solutions, a trusted transport planning and highway engineering consultancy, brings years of expertise to this extremely important task.

Several potential routes are being carefully considered, with particular attention given to factors that could create challenges, such as:

  • Narrow roadways
  • Low-hanging trees, bridges, or nearby structures
  • Sharp turns and tight junctions

The initial route selection process has focused on finding the shortest and least restrictive paths, avoiding populated areas whenever possible. Advanced Swept Path Analysis (SPA) is being used to simulate how the specialised vehicles carrying turbine components will navigate tight spaces, using accurate digital mapping.

After this detailed assessment, Via Solutions has conducted site visits to test various routes and take precise measurements. They are working closely with turbine manufacturer EWT and the road hauliers to finalise the optimal solution.

As part of the planning application, the recommended routes and any necessary mitigation measures will be presented to the local council, alongside a construction traffic management plan. This step ensures all feedback from the local Highway Authority is addressed and that any abnormal loads are transported with minimal impact.

Please see our download files for the full report when published.

Flood Risk & Drainage

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Information on flood risk and drainage assessments will be visible here.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts on our Rolliers Development Project! If you can’t make it to our public consultation event on Tuesday, October 8th at Bigbury Parish Memorial Hall, no worries! You can still share your feedback with us online.

For those joining us in person, feel free to share your thoughts on the day—we’re all ears!

Thanks for being a part of this journey with us! 💚

Meet your Project Manager

Dave

"Hi, I'm Dave and I’m all about renewable energy, especially wind. I joined Octopus Energy over a year ago as a Heat Pumps Specialist and moved to the Innovation & Development Team in April 2024. I’m passionate about connecting with people and communities to build more wind projects and help ditch gas for good. My mission? Speed up the shift to renewables and make a real impact in the fight against climate change."

If you have any questions at all about the project, please contact Dave and the development team via rollierswindturbine@octopusenergygeneration.com.

Planning Application

Octopus Energy Generation is gearing up to submit a planning application by the end of this year and our excellent Development team will be leading the charge.

Want to stay in the loop with project updates? Just fill out our feedback form and drop your email address in. We’ll be sure to ping you when there’s fresh news or updates on the site.

If you'd like to reach out to the development team with more general queries, you can reach them via development@octopusenergygeneration.com.

Download Files

Development Map

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Wider Area Map

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Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV)

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Leaflet

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Poster

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Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy!

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