JCE supports Greyhope Bay Project

“Greyhope Bay will enhance access to Torry Battery, a site with a unique heritage, spectacular panoramic views of Aberdeen’s city and coast, and the best view of our charismatic bottlenose dolphins – the largest bottlenose dolphins found anywhere in the world”.

Greyhope Bay entered into a dialogue with JCE in January 2020 due to our vast experience working with renewable energy projects and supporting off-grid power requirements, while having a presence locally in Aberdeen.  With the site location of unique heritage and the project aiming to deliver an exceptional marine experience centre to the community, there was a focus on achieving a zero-footprint and sustainable design.

Additionally, the intent was to promote behavioural changes in waste and the circular economy. This was naturally something we were intrigued by, with their work focusing on delivering sustainable power generation through the use of alternative energy solutions. Furthermore, we believed that Greyhope Bay could achieve its sustainable model by utilising a reliable and cost-effective off-grid green energy system.

As the ‘Dolphins at the Battery’ phase will engage the wider community, Greyhope Bay highlighted the importance of providing educational opportunities incorporating science, wildlife, technology, history and art while showcasing an impressive facility. We were excited to be involved in a project that offers various opportunities and promotes environmental awareness among the communities within the region.

We believed in providing support through working alongside the Greyhope Bay team to utilise our wide expertise and innovative green technology – an area we are highly passionate about.

Our Chairman, Jim Craig, discusses the challenges and proposal for the project with Greyhope Bay MD, Fiona McIntyre, in this video interview.

During this period, the design phase of the control systems, including the hardware, communication package and the philosophy of operation, was carried out. The long lead items (battery cells, solar panels and inverters) were also ordered.

The month of July saw the arrival of the 270W Solar Panels which are to be positioned on the roof of the repurposed shipping containers and placed at an optimum angle to receive the maximum power from the available sunlight in Aberdeen. Fiona also made a visit to JCE’s premises to check on progress and discuss further updates with the team.

The Battery Charger was also delivered (completed) and will be utilised both at night or during periods of no sunlight to ensure the battery is sufficiently charged to supply reliable power to the loads in the facility.

The Filtration Unit collects rain water and has filtration capabilities to make it suitable for drinking. The unit has low energy consumption (works on an on-demand basis) and a compact design (the dimensions of a domestic fridge). The design of the Filtration Unit makes it suitable for off-grid applications, where it cannot be connected to the water mains.

The Silent Generator was also delivered in August. It is an integral part of the system as it will be used to re-charge the batteries during periods of darkness, or in the event that abnormal high energy consumption is causing the batteries to deplete quicker than expected.

The system is designed to work automatically, using a PLC, which constantly monitors the system parameters (battery voltage, energy consumed and generated) in order to optimally re-charge the batteries, guaranteeing the constant energy supply.

The purpose of the Solar Charge Controller is to give additional charging capacity to the batteries from the sun. It collects the solar irradiation during the daytime and transfers the energy into the system. This additional energy is coming from a complete renewable source (the sun), providing the first step in achieving a truly sustainable facility.

The Power Inverter Unit transfers the voltage from the batteries (DC Voltage) to the load (AC Voltage), allowing the equipment to run on the same power supply which you would find in your home.

The images below show a glimpse of the components used as part of the complete build of the control panel, used to manage the monitoring and distribution of power to the various loads throughout the facilities.

With the project completion date due in 2021, JCE ensured all the manufacturing and assembly of equipment was well underway to minimise the upcoming installation of the system.

The control panel includes the cabinet for protection and housing of components, with various electrical apparatus contained within including, inverter, battery chargers.

The start of the year saw the final completion of the equipment required for the bespoke off-grid hybrid power system. ith the control panel, solar panels, silent generator and associated components now complete the final stage will include system testing to ensure there are no issues when the equipment is used in the field.

TechFest is an innovative charity which consistently provides quality STEM events and with over 35 years experience in promoting STEM subjects.

The Greyhope Bay team visited JCE’s facility and together held a live stream to 15 local classrooms as part of TechFest Early Years + Primary Programme. This gave an opportunity to showcase the bespoke renewable power solution manufactured for their off-grid marine experience centre, community space and café at Torry Battery.

The final installation was completed in the spring of 2022 with the official opening taking place in April. With the final testing and commissioning complete, the new Greyhope Bay dolphin viewing centre & cafe is open to serve fresh coffee and food.

This project is an excellent showcase of what can be completed when hard-work, determine and innovation come together. The sustainable centre is powered completely off-grid and has a wealth of core sustainable principles in its design.

JCE is proud to continue its association with Greyhope Bay as the official ‘Green Power Partner’.

⚡🔋 Our team has completed the installation of the power upgrade at Greyhope Bay. 🐬🌞

JCE is the official Green Power Partner of the Greyhope Bay Centre. We manufactured and installed a renewable energy system that has been powering the café / dolphin viewing facility for over a year. The original project required JCE’s off-grid expertise as it is at a historical remote site, with no connection to the grid.

An upgrade was required to accommodate for increased power requirements due to the ever growing popularity of the centre and to facilitate a range of hot food menu options.

The power upgrade includes the installation of a substantial number of solar panels and an additional battery.

Our partnership with Greyhope Bay demonstrates our commitment to cutting carbon emissions and improving our local community. It also shows we have the capability to provide renewable power solutions for commercial applications, in addition to hazardous environments.