Profile - Chillwind

Freezing temperatures and winds of up 120mph are all in a day’s work for one Highland business which is making its mark both in the UK and beyond for its wind energy know-how.

Whatever the weather, Glenelg-based Chillwind is a force to be reckoned with.  It’s installed more than 1000 of its wind monitoring systems throughout Europe, a sure signal, according to operations manager Richard Tarves, of developers’ continued confidence in onshore wind as the quickest and most reliable of current renewable energy technologies.

“It’s this which is driving the growth of the business. Turnover has doubled in the past six years to 2008. When we started the business in 1991 there were just three of us. Today we have 15 people working with us and a busy year ahead,” says Richard.

Chillwind’s clients include most of the major UK windfarm developers and electricity companies and it is now winning business from across the globe.

Its most remote piece of equipment can be found at 17,000 ft above sea level in the Argentinian Andes.

Closer to home, the  Chillwind team is currently installing one of its 90m tilt up anemometer towers – currently the tallest of its kind in the UK – in Sweden. The company was also recently awarded a major contract in Portugal with the Irish company Airtricity.

The company now has its own energy efficient, purpose-built office. The timber frame and cladding are from locally grown Douglas Fir, the insulation is from hemp and there are solar hot water panels on the roof.

In tandem with refining its traditional cup anemometry systems and mast services, Chillwind also developed its award-winning SODAR system.

This mobile acoustic wind measurement tool monitors wind flows at up to 140m height without the need for a mast.

Richard Tarves is upbeat about the future: “We’re already seeing a real need for taller monitoring towers. Having successfully pioneered the first 80m tilt-up tower in the UK the order book’s filling up quickly.”

Chillwind contacts
Richard Tarves         richard@chillwind.co.uk
Neil Hammond         neil@chillwind.co.uk

Tel. +44 (0)1599 522 288
Web  www.chillwind.co.uk  

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