Ghrepower makes the difference by creating jobs

The company helped Ghrepower develop a new technology that allowed wind turbines to function properly even when the temperature drops below 0 C. "When the weather gets cold, the propeller blades of the wind turbine sometimes freeze, but the new technology generates heat internally to prevent this."

Meanwhile, another consultancy firm has done research on the market for small and medium-size wind turbines across Europe for Ghrepower, at Deng's request.

Deng says that such research could easily cost 1,000 pounds to do, but it was given to Deng's team for free as a part of the scheme package.

The scheme also put Deng's team together with many local banks, which provide guidance on how to prepare the right documents to get funding for wind turbine construction.

Installing a medium-size wind turbine would generally cost about half a million pounds for the whole project, and it is hard for Ghrepower's customers to provide this investment by themselves. Therefore Deng's team has been helping their customers in getting bank funding.

"In the past, it has been particularly hard for customers to apply for bank funding for our wind turbines because we only have two years of history in Wales, but the life of a wind turbine is 20 years, so our track record is not enough," Deng says. "In our industry, we say that such wind turbines are not 'bankable'."

One solution his team recently devised is to contribute a part of the capital investment for its customers, in exchange for the subsidy that the British government gives to users of renewable energy.

But the scheme allowed him to meet many banks that specialize in financing small-scale projects, which could be a perfect solution to the funding challenge. "It was very helpful to hear from them the criteria that they judge projects by," he says.

Ghrepower sold its first wind turbine in the UK five years ago through a local distributor. The Scottish government opened a bid to construct a wind turbine next to a recreational facility and Ghrepower won the contract.

Two years ago, Deng set up a subsidiary for Ghrepower in Swansea. While the wind turbines' manufacturing is still done in China, the Swansea subsidiary is in charge of sales, repair and installation.

"We expanded overseas because the wind turbine market in China is restricted by China's immature smart grid system, which is the infrastructure essential for delivering energy generated from wind farms to people's homes," Deng says.

"In comparison, the smart grid market of the UK is very advanced. Another advantage of the UK market is the financial support the government gives to producers of renewable energy, which drives up demand," he says.

Under a feed-in tariff scheme introduced in 2011, homeowners and businesses are paid a cost-based subsidy by the government for the renewable electricity they produce, which includes solar, wind, tidal and others.

For wind energy, the UK government is paying 17.50 pence for each kilowatt-hour of electricity generated if the total amount of power generation is between 100-500 kW.

However, to help its customers take advantage of this scheme, Ghrepower had to undergo the Microgeneration Certification Scheme assessment. Deng says that Ghrepower has already invested one and a half years and a lot of assessment fees to gain this certificate. He believes Ghrepower will receive its certificate within the next three months.

"We are fully confident about our growth in the British market. But at the same time, growing in the British market is an opportunity to accumulate lots of knowledge in this industry to be used at home as China's wind turbine sector matures in the future," Deng says.

Efficient LED lighting is Deeply impressive green choice for submarium

The Deep's Lagoon of Light display, which features vivid colours and 66 species of animals, is floodlit by a light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which have been supplied by Hull firm Bonus Electrical.

The environmentally friendly lights at the landmark centre offer a more sustainable way of lighting the lagoon, lasting up to ten times longer than the lamps they replaced and offering an 80 per cent reduction in energy use.

Aquarists at The Deep said the new lights, which run in two lines above the water tank, help recreate a tropical habitat common to the species in the lagoon.

Andrew Mcleod, assistant curator at The Deep, said: "The Lagoon of Light is a tropical fish display, where bright, light conditions are needed.

"These advanced LEDs provide a very intense, vivid type of light that recreates the environment you find on a tropical island where there is a great deal of sunshine."

The intensity of the 14 LED floodlights means the light is able to penetrate the surface of the water and properly illuminate the 200,000-litre tank.

It allows visitors looking through the tank's glass walls to see in great detail the lagoon's coral reef and the colours of 1,100 fish, such as surgeonfish and lipstick tangs.

The LEDs have a life-span of several years, compared with 12 months for the halide lamps the technology has replaced.

Given the power of the LEDs, which are a fraction of the wattage of a traditional light bulb, fewer bulbs are needed. And as LEDs produce a negligible amount of heat, The Deep is no longer required to reduce the temperature in the areas using the lights by air conditioning – saving yet more energy.

The Deep calculates the individual LED installations are already offering a 50 per cent cost reduction on the previous halide lamps.

Mr Mcleod said: "We have considered LEDs before but have been waiting for the technology's development and progress.

"Now, the designs have become a lot more advanced and these particular high-power floodlights offer the type of intensity we need."

Bonus Electrical is now working with The Deep on further applications for the LEDs, from installation in the car parks to being used to grow coral in captivity.

Rob Carter, sales manager of Bonus Electrical, said: "As the use at The Deep shows, there is no downside to advanced LED technology, which offers a sustainable, energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional lighting.

"This is particularly important at The Deep, where the lights are on for 12 hours every day and have to be reliable, environmentally friendly and not impact on the marine life.

"We're delighted to have supplied to such an iconic attraction and look forward to working with The Deep on rolling out the LEDs to more areas and applications."