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Local electrical firm grows

A pioneering Orkney company is expanding its workforce to meet a growing demand from wind, wave and tidal energy developers.

Bryan J Rendall (Electrical) Ltd needs to recruit more skilled staff to work on a wide range of renewable energy projects.

The firm is already involved in both wave and tidal power schemes though its close connections with EMEC, the Stromness-based European Marine Energy Centre.

It expects the need for this highly specialised electrical work to increase significantly in the years ahead, as commercial-scale marine power projects come on stream in Orkney waters and the Pentland Firth.

On land, BJRE can now offer a unique package of services to commercial-scale wind project developers.

And it is also delighted with the success of a small-scale wind turbine it helped develop, with around 40 of the machines expected to be installed in Orkney alone by the end of the year.

At a busy time for the company, BJRE’s expansion plans are being backed by a £60,800 funding package from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Ruth Kirkpatrick, HIE’s head of business growth in Orkney, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting a pioneering company that offers a remarkable depth of expertise across the renewables sector.

“Thanks to the impressive range of specialised services they provide, the company is much in demand internationally, as well as in Scotland and Orkney itself, and has huge potential for growth.

“The high value jobs they’re offering are a great opportunity to join an exciting industry: attracting skilled and talented people to live and work in Orkney is vital for the future prosperity of our community.”

Through its work with EMEC, the company has developed a portfolio of new services tailored to the needs of the developers involved in wave and tidal energy generation.

“Our role is to give developers the opportunity to generate electricity at sea and feed that power into the National Grid,” said EMEC managing director Neil Kermode. “BJRE’s expertise is crucially important in making these high-voltage electrical connections work safely and successfully.

“With a growing list of developers lining up to use our world-leading test facilities, the company will be much in demand in the months ahead – and it’s great to see them expanding to meet that demand.”

Since it was founded by Bryan Rendall 15 years ago, BJRE has been involved in setting up and maintaining more than 1,100 wind turbines in places as far apart as California and Australia.

Responding to the needs of developers, the company has undergone a stringent accreditation process that means it can now handle all aspects of a large-scale wind energy project.

“We can do everything a developer needs to get a big wind turbine set up and generating electricity for the National Grid,” said lead engineer Callum Rendall.

“By offering a complete package of services, we can dramatically reduce the costs of getting a commercial-scale machine up and running – something that can really help private developers and community groups seeking to develop wind energy projects.”

The small-scale 6 kilowatt (kW) wind turbine the company helped develop in partnership with French firm Eoltec performed best in a nationwide test conducted by the Energy Saving Trust – generating 22,000 units of electricity over the course of a year on the island of North Ronaldsay.

Now a familiar sight outside homes and businesses across Orkney and beyond, the machine is currently undergoing a new accreditation process under the Micro Generation Certification Scheme developed by DECC, the UK Government’s Department for Energy and Climate Change.

As proof of its reliability, endurance and power output, the company hopes this will further boost sales of an already popular machine.

“In the current economic climate it’s great to be so busy,” said BJRE’s marketing manager Tracey Jackson. “We’ve experienced a 40 per cent growth in business over the past year and we now need to recruit five new staff.

“Our workforce stands at 12 at the moment, so it’s a considerable increase for us. We’re all proud to work for a dynamic company that’s focussed on making renewables work – and those joining us can expect plenty of variety in their working lives.”

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