06 June 2023
Asset Manager John Griffiths gives De Montfort University students an eye-opening tour of our wind turbine in Wanlip in Leicestershire, nicknamed ‘Windy’ by a local school.
To support our mission to power the UK towards a circular economy, we operate a range of renewable energy assets across the Severn Trent region, in addition to offering food and garden waste recycling services across the UK.
For the past few years, our Wind, Hydro and Solar Asset Manager John Griffiths has been taking university students on a tour of our wind turbine in Wanlip, Leicestershire – giving them first-hand insights into how we operate our assets and the overall purpose of our business.
This May, John hosted 31 students from De Montfort University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering, and Media at our Wanlip wind turbine which is six times taller than the ‘Angel of the North’ sculpture1. Nicknamed ‘Windy’ by Rothley Primary School in Leicester, it generates enough electricity to power around 1,300 homes.
Reflecting on the tour, Course Representative for MSc Energy Engineering, Sivaprasad Panikkassery Rajeev, said: “I had an enlightening experience as I gained a deeper understanding of the wind turbine which utilises one of the major renewable energy sources in the UK for the water treatment process energy requirements. Back home in Kerala, India, I've seen a lot of wind turbines but never got a chance to see how it works. John helpfully explained everything in a friendly and comprehensible manner.”
John, who’s built a career with Green Power and Severn Trent Water spanning 14 years, added: “It's always a pleasure to give these tours and speak to the students about both Green Power and Severn Trent’s extensive renewable generation assets - from solar, wind and hydro to anaerobic digestion plants, combined heat and power engines, and more!
“Talking to them about the processes of how we get the energy we need and watching the smiles on their faces when they get close to ‘Windy’ is something that I'm very passionate about and fills me with pride.”
As wind power overtook gas to become the UK’s biggest source of electricity for the first time this year2, we look forward to hosting more students next year and speaking to them about the pivotal role of renewable energy in spearheading the UK’s net zero strategy.
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