Penrhyn Castle biomass project is now into implementation and delivery, and as always devil is in the detail – in this case about 38 tonnes of detail with many wheels.

Elgan the project manager’s first challenge was to ensure that the new system could actually get fuel delivered. Not as easy as you would think, especially when there is the small matter of a gatehouse and its very own portcullis (just like my house – NOT).

Breathe in!

I am sure that when Thomas Hopper designed the gatehouse in 1822  an articulated lorry was not top of his list of things to consider. Oh how things have changed.

Once through,  we come up against the “where are we aiming for, can we turn around and get back out again, what about the 120,000 visitors per year and when is the best time to turn up”. These aspects shaped the design and siting of the biomass plant room as all of these interdependancies, together with “when are staff available to accept delivery” all come to the fore.

These are the things that often get overlooked as designers and consultants focus in on heat generation and technical solutions, when if you cannot actually get the fuel to the boiler its a bit of a failed project!

So, question starters for 10:

• What fuel?
• How to we deliver?
• How do we unload and fill the fuel store?
• How do we ensure that everyone knows in practical terms how this will work in operation once the project is handed over to the staff at the property?

These are just a few of the considerations that we have worked through in order to ensure that Penrhyn Castle as the last major oil using property in National Trust Wales can “get off oil”.

We are also working on getting rid of the remaining 12% of oil in NT Wales with our pilot holiday cottage project. More to come…