Green Energy Review

Green Energy investment opportunity for Widnes Masonic Hall
In an effort to reduce costs, in conjunction with future developments plans for Widnes Masonic Hall, renewable energy sources are being investigated. The first stage of this plan took place in June when The Hall Chairman Peter Browne, Group Chairman David Redhead and Tommy Glynn of St Paul's Lodge, attended an Open Day at Rivington in Lancashire to examine the possibility of using a renewable energy wind turbine to offset the cost of electrical energy being used in the Widnes Masonic Hall. The turbine in question was capable of an output of 11KW, more than enough for the needs of Widnes Masonic Hall and all surplus energy fed back into the grid system would attract a feed-in tariff of 26.7p/kwh. Unfortunately, during discussions with the authorised distributor and installer, Segen, about the requirements and operation of a wind turbine, it became clear that such a scheme would not be viable and other options need to be explored. One such option would be the installation of solar panels to produce 7.2kw of electricity at a cost of approximately £32K, which is around £15k cheaper than the cost of a wind turbine and would give a payback in about ten years, after which Widnes Masonic Hall would have no electricity bills. Surplus energy from this system would attract a feed-in tariff of 36.1p/kwh.
Peter said that we must explore all options to maintain the viability of Widnes Masonic Hall well into the future and if this means generating an income from a renewable energy source alongside developments to attract outside functions, then it can only be good for Widnes Masonic Hall and it’s members, as it will go a long way towards keeping the costs down.