The energy is green; the supply chain is brown. The supply chain, for most organisations, is 90% of emissions. Everyone has a part to play in the journey to net zero.Matthew Chapman, Marketing Manager, Renewable Parts
Increasing sustainability in the wind farm supply chain
The operational lifecycle of a wind turbine is around 25 years. Each turbine is made up of around 8,000 component parts, some of these have a shorter lifespan and must be inspected and serviced every 6-12 months. Previously these components, such as gears and motors, would either have been sent to landfill or would have been melted down.
Taking a more sustainable approach, Renewable Parts receives these parts in its Lochgilphead Innovation Centre. After a thorough examination, the team identifies any parts which can be re-used, repaired or refurbished, do the necessary ‘re-manufacture’ work and return a working component back to the customer.
Supporting a Circular Economy
Renewable Parts founder and Technical Director Ewan Anderson established the company in his hometown of Lochgilphead in 2011. Around 30 staff are currently employed across the Innovation Centre in Lochgilphead and the operations and logistics hub in Renfrew.
Renewable Parts Ltd helps green energy providers based across the UK to reduce the waste and carbon emissions associated with the manufacture and transport of new component parts. They're finding they are increasingly becoming the supplier of first choice - only opting for new when no other options are available.
To date, Renewable Parts has prevented around 70 tonnes of scrap and waste being sent to landfill. By using refurbished parts, they have also prevented over 130 tonnes of carbon emissions associated with new component parts, which are often manufactured outside of the UK and transported by air, road and/or sea.
Wind is expected to account for a large element of the energy mix within the next 10-15 years. The UK government has set targets for industry to reach 40GW by 2030. Renewable Parts is committed to ensuring that operations behind the scenes are as sustainable as the energy produced.
Developing local skills
As a local legacy, Renewable Parts is committed to investing in its presence in the Lochgilphead community. The business works closely with schools and colleges to bring in new talent - and has five people currently participating in a graduate scheme.
Graduates play a key role in operations and the scheme allows local young people the chance to find well paid, high skilled work close to home. Remanufacture and refurbishment are a related but different skill set to manufacturing, due to the lower levels of predictability and higher level of problem solving required.
The growth of refurbishment as an option within the supply chain present excellent opportunities for those on the graduate scheme to step into permanent roles in the renewables industry.
Meet Renewable Parts graduate Gabriel McKeown
Find out more about Energy Skills and Employment forecasts from SDS
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