Hydropower
Consultancy, Design & InstallationHow to find us:
Our office is located three miles east of Stroud in Gloucestershire just off the main A419 ‘London Road’. Visitors are welcome but please call in advance to book an appointment because various members of the team are often away at client sites.
Address:
Wimberley Mill
Brimscombe
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL5 2TH
Directions from the west (M5, Bristol, Gloucester, Midlands):
Drive out of Stroud along the A419 towards Cirencester. Drive through Thrupp and on into Brimscombe. Drive past the short row of shops on the left and continue for ¼ mile until you see the railway line immediately beside the road on your right and a bus stop on the left. Turn left up Toadsmoor Road, then after about 40 metres turn sharp dog-leg left which will take you under the A419 and the railway line. Drive straight ahead and over the river, then turn left into Wimberley Mill. Drive down the main entrance road and into the estate and turn left across the small bridge back across the river. Our office will be straight in front of you. Park wherever there is a space, or if there isn’t any drive back across the small bridge and park in the large carpark at the far end of the site.
Directions coming from the east (Cirencester, Swindon, M4, London)
Driving along the A419 from Cirencester, as you pass Aston Down airfield the road will suddenly head steeply downhill through a number of bends as you drop into the Stroud valley. Stay on the A419 for just over a mile until the railway line appears beside the road on your left and there is a long lay-by on the right. Turn right up Toadsmoor Road, then after about 40 metres turn sharp dog-leg left which will take you under the A419 and the railway line. Drive straight ahead and over the river, then turn left into Wimberley Mill. Drive down the main entrance road and into the estate and turn left across the small bridge back across the river. Our office will be straight in front of you. Park wherever there is a space, or if there isn’t any drive back across the small bridge and park in the large carpark at the far end of the site.
Contact
Renewables First receives many enquiries every week so by far the fastest and most efficient way for us to deal with your enquiry is for you log it through our website enquiry page. One of our staff will then call you back within three working days to discuss your requirements.
For urgent enquiries please contact our office on:
Phone 01453 88 77 44 (note this number can be used for faxes as well)
Our staff
Philip Davis - Managing Director
Phil was previously Technical Director of Segen and was a key
player in building Segen to become the UK leader in small wind power
and a one of the largest solar photovoltaic system providers. Phil
joined Segen in 1997 when his first company, Hydro Generation,
merged with Segen. The hydro division of Segen was successful, but
it was always the smaller part of a larger company and was never
developed to the same degree as the larger wind and solar
divisions. To allow the hydro division its own space to grow and
develop to its full potential it was demerged from Segen in October
2009, along with Phil and the hydro team to
become Renewables First Ltd.
Phil is a recognised UK expert in all things renewable. He has a deep understanding of the technologies, the fundamental principles and in many cases the manufacturers behind the products. Although a Chartered Mechanical Engineer he is equally comfortable with electrical engineering, and business development.
Phil has a BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business Management from Surrey University (1993) and a MSc from Loughborough University in Renewable Energy Systems Technology (2001). Add to this an engineering apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce, seven years working overseas drilling oil wells as a Schlumberger and later Maersk field engineer, then he saw the environmental light and left the oil industry, completed the Loughborough MSc and founded Hydro Generation in 2001.
Marc Sheikh - Senior Engineer
Marc joined Hydro Generation in 2006 after completing a BSc
honours degree in Marine and Composite Technologies at Plymouth
University. He is experienced in all aspects of hydropower project
development from feasibility studies, environment agency consenting,
detailed design and project management of installations.
As well as being involved with individual projects, Marc oversees all of the projects and ensures that everyone sticks to the project plan. He also manages the sales pipeline, so if you make an enquiry there is a good chance that Marc will be the first person you speak with.
Sam Jeddere-Fisher - Senior Engineer
Sam joined Segen in 2007 after gaining a MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Bristol University.
Although specialising in hydropower, Sam also has a detailed working
knowledge of wind and solar photovoltaic power systems.
Sam draws on this breadth of knowledge, which extends into the electrical aspects as well, to produce optimally designed hydropower systems and also to provide experienced consultancy advice at the feasibility stage of projects.
Simon Dennis - Senior Engineer
Simon joined Segen in 2008 after working for several years for
Mendip District Council as a flood defense engineer, and previous to
that for Green & Carter who specialise in hydraulic ram-pump design and
installation. Simon is studying part-time for a degree in Civil
Engineering from the University of the West of England (UWE) and is
currently in the final year. His final year project is based on
accurate energy performance modeling of hydropower systems and
optimisation of hydro hardware to suite the hydro resource
available.
Simon works on all aspects of hydro projects from feasibility studies, environmental consenting, design and installation project management. His previous experience as a flood defense engineer is invaluable when considering the design of hydropower systems and ensuring they are designed to minimise, or even reduce, any flood risk. Also his practical experience of installing ram-pump hardware in a river environment is highly relevant when designing hydro systems.
Bardhyl Metaj - Engineer
Bardhyl
is Renewables First's latest recruit, joining the company in January
2010. He is a graduate of BEng Mechanical Engineering from
Oxford Brookes University and has ten years of technical engineering
experience, mainly related to the automotive industry. His
personal interest in renewable energy lead him to Renewables First
where he now works on hydro and solar-photovoltaic system design.
History
Renewables First was formed by the demerger of the hydro division of Segen in October 2009, complete with premises, staff and all of the hydro customers. The Managing Director of Renewables First is Philip Davis, formerly Technical Director of Segen and prior to that Managing Director of Hydro Generation.
Hydro Generation Ltd was set up in 2001, initially as consultants and installers for the South Somerset Hydropower Project. As this successful project was completed the publicity generated lead to further hydro projects spread all over the UK and the rapid growth of Hydro Generation to become one of the leading companies in the hydro field.
In 2006 Hydro Generation started providing technical consultancy services to Segen, which a year later lead to a full merger of the two companies. Under the Segen banner the company grew quickly to consolidate its position in the hydro sector and become the UK leader in small wind and a major player in larger-scale solar photovoltaic systems.
In 2009 growing pains lead to the hydro part of Segen being demerged as Renewables First Ltd under the direction of Phil Davis. Renewables First will now enter a new phase of growth in the hydropower sector and will be expanding its technical consultancy services into medium-scale wind and solar photovoltaics.