Green Energy
& Sustainability

Caring for and working harmoniously with our environment is of great importance to us at Shakespeare Link.

Our carefully pruned and artisan woven theatre is nestled into the countryside of Mid Wales, and we strongly believe that its presence should work in harmony with and to the benefit of wildlife and natural ecosystems who host it.

With this in mind, and alongside our Shakespeare and Hay Meadow projects, we have developed what we believe is the only completely 'green' theatre in Wales, not only in a literal sense, but also in terms of sustainable energy.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of volunteers, along with funding from the Severn Wye Energy Agency and Bryant Trust, the electricity for our stage lighting, power tools, office and backstage is generated onsite by a wind turbine and three solar panels.

TECHNOLOGY

Eight 125W polycrystalline cell, white tedlar universal frame LoPro J-Box MC 12V PV panels providing 1KW hour maximum in perfect conditions.

Due to the variability of sunlight, PV modules are normally connected to charge batteries for DC stand alone systems, or connected to a mains grid (AC) through an inverter. They are maintenance free, do not produce any noise or pollution and generate power even under an overcast sky. They are quick and easy to install with little site preparation and the modular design allows for easy expansion of the system.

Rutland Furlmatic 1803 Windcharge - Generates 36W @ 11 mph, 340W @ 22mph up to 750W peak, cut in speed 6mph, 12V, 1.8m rotor diameter.  If the wind speed increases above 33mph, the furling tail progressively turns the turbine out of the wind.  This is a 3-bladed turbine with a composite glass fibre construction.  It is a powerful battery charger and can be used in hybrid systems with solar panels.

BATTERIES

3 x 12 volt packs by Rolls at 960AH per pack giving a maximum storage of 2880AH in perfect conditions.

2kW 12V sine wave inverter 0-100A charger.

CONTROLLER AND DISPLAY

The estimated installed capacity of the turbine and the PV cells is 1.75kW in perfect conditions. This is sufficient capacity to provide lighting and sound for productions in the Willow Globe and Barn theatre. It also provides electricity for power tools and the use of the converted stable block and organisation's office.

INTERPRETATION

This funding for this project also enables usage interpretation via a board which provides details of the system and gives information about the technoology used on site.

The grant for this project was provided by the Energy for Sustainable Communities (ESC) Project run by Severn Wye Energy Agency on behalf of Glasu.  The ESC Project was financed through Objective 2 Structural Funds of the European Union.  Match funding was provided by volunteer time, funding from the Bryant Trust and Shakespeare Link's own resources.