A London college has secured planning permission for five rooftop wind turbines and associated controls. The equipment will be part of a planned microgrid that combines wind, solar power, battery storage and real-time energy management.
The project at London Design and Engineering University Technical College (LDE UTC) in the Royal Docks is expected to meet about 81% of the building’s electricity demand. It will use technology from Hover Energy, a developer of renewable energy and microgrid systems for buildings.
The approved work covers five vertical-axis wind turbines, control equipment, a maintenance platform and access stairs. Unlike conventional horizontal-axis models, the turbines have blades that rotate around an upright shaft.
The college’s solar panels are already in place. Battery storage is planned as part of the microgrid, although it is not included in the formal description of the approved work.
The project still requires final approval from the UK’s Department for Education.
Rooftop turbines designed around the existing building
LDE UTC opened in 2016, while the main building covered by the application was completed in 2018. The college provides technical education to up to 900 students aged 14 to 19 and to up to 50 apprentices.
The turbines are planned along the southern edge of the second-floor terrace. They will stand on a purpose-designed platform covering approximately 400 sq m, located above part of the existing roof terrace. Project documents indicate that the area beneath the platform would provide covered space for students.
Hover Energy’s turbines are fully enclosed and have no exposed blades. They will sit close to the height of the building’s parapet or roof-edge wall. Planning drawings show them in yellow to match the columns elsewhere on the building and the design elements on another teaching building on campus.
London City Airport raises no objection
Because the college is close to London City Airport, the proposal was reviewed to determine whether the turbines could interfere with aircraft operations or airport equipment.
According to the planning statement, the airport found that the proposal should not affect protected airspace, flight procedures, landing systems or technical services. It also found no expected increase in the risk of birds colliding with aircraft.
Newham assessed the project against planning, design, visual-impact, acoustic, structural and airport-safeguarding requirements before granting permission.
Microgrid controls to coordinate building energy
Hover’s Microgrid Management System will coordinate the various energy sources. A microgrid is a local electricity network that manages generation, storage and consumption within a building, development or defined group of properties.
The system is designed to monitor renewable generation, stored electricity and demand at the college. It would balance power from the turbines, existing solar panels and the planned battery according to the building’s requirements.
Hover calls its technology the “Agentic Microgrid Management System”. According to the company, it analyses demand, generation and storage data to adjust performance in real time.
Hover expects the microgrid to reduce the amount of electricity the college draws from the wider power network. The company says it would be its first commercial microgrid deployment in London, integrating its vertical-axis turbines with solar power, battery storage and energy controls.
The projected 81% contribution is a forecast because the system is not yet operational.
Project documents also suggest the possibility of exporting surplus electricity and of connecting the microgrid to neighbouring sites in future. Neither has been confirmed for the first phase.
Geoffrey Fowler, principal and chief executive of LDE UTC, said the project would enable students to learn in a building that generates, stores and manages renewable electricity. He added that Department for Education approval was still required.
Chris Griffin, founder and chief executive of Hover Energy, said existing properties would need retrofitting as part of the transition to net zero. He added that on-site generation could reduce the amount of grid electricity buildings use.
Scott Brownrigg designed the rooftop proposal, Maddox Associates served as planning consultant, and Mott MacDonald provided structural and civil engineering services. Hover Energy is responsible for the microgrid and wind turbine design.
Image: Courtesy of Hover Energy
