Renewable Energy Systems Group

The RES Group is a leading renewable energy company working across the globe to develop, construct and operate projects that contribute to our goal of a sustainable future and are a vital part of mankind’s response to the twin challenges of global climate change and security of future energy supplies.

Who we are:

Part of the Sir Robert McAlpine group, a British family-owned firm with over 100 years of experience in the construction and engineering sector, RES has been at the forefront of the wind energy industry for more than 25 years and has played a central role in the development of the renewable energy market in the United Kingdom and internationally.

RES is headed by Chief Executive, Dr Ian Mays MBE, who has been leading the field in the development of renewable energy since the 1970s. He is a holder of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Silver Medal and was named ‘Renewable Energy Champion’ by the industry in 2006.

Wind energy development:

King Mountain, Texas USA

The largest component of RES business is the development, construction and operation of medium to large scale wind farms. We ensure projects are designed to generate power at the most competitive prices, while maintaining our reputation for a sensitive and consultative approach to the environment and local communities.

Following completion of our latest project, the 30MW Lomont project in France, the RES Group has now successfully developed and/or built more than 2350MW of wind energy capacity worldwide, including the world’s single largest wind farm at King Mountain in Texas and projects in the UK, Ireland, France, Portugal, the Caribbean, Sweden and across the USA.

The company is active in offshore wind power, a sector that has the potential for significant large-scale clean power production and employment. We are working on two projects off the Lincolnshire coast in England with the projects’ owner, Centrica, and looking at the potential for offshore projects elsewhere in Europe. RES continues to invest in research and development into wind farm and turbine technology, engineering and implementation to maintain its leading position in the industry and is an active participant in a number of international research projects and standards committees.

Building-integrated renewables and sustainable building design

The RES Group is expanding its activities into renewable heat and power technologies for buildings and low-carbon design. Drawing on the experience gained at its award-winning low-carbon HQ (see below) and working closely with its parent company Sir Robert McAlpine, RES Heat and Power offers a range of low-carbon solutions for the industrial, commercial and public sectors, where there is a large and growing demand for on-site and commercial-scale renewable heat, power and cooling installations.

The most recent addition to the RES Group is Inbuilt Consulting, which provides technical and consulting excellence in the research, design and delivery of sustainable built environments.

Leading by Example

Beaufort Court, RES’s flagship low-carbon HQ, in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, is the embodiment of the Group’s commitment to sustainability.

RES low-carbon headquarters at Beaufort Court

The award-winning building is a regeneration of an historical agricultural building, the former Ovaltine Egg Farm, into what is believed to be the world’s first commercial low-emissions office redevelopment. Using innovative and advanced building design, we have established a workplace with sets the standard in sustainable development.

Its key features include:

On-site renewable heat and power installations including a wind turbine, solar panels, biomass crops, underground heat store and natural groundwater cooling system and high standards of energy efficiency throughout.
Building design, architecture and engineering innovation that breaks new ground in sustainable development.
An educational facility on-site aimed at schools, universities, local authorities and professionals in the construction, property development, architecture and energy sectors.
On-line dissemination of information about the design principles and performance of the building, so that our experience can be shared and used to inform other renewable energy and building projects around the world.

Beaufort Court has won numerous awards since its completion in 2003. It is a living example of our commitment to sustainability, embodying what we do and the principles on which our business is based. It also demonstrates the viability and practical application of a range of buildings-integrated renewable technologies that have potential for use across all sectors up and down the country.

Why renewable energy?

In a world where energy security, sensible resource management and pollution-free power are increasingly high priorities, renewable energy is recognised now as a key energy technology of the future and new markets are continually emerging. Onshore wind power, as the most cost-effective and proven of the technologies, will continue to play a leading role in any strategy to meet our energy needs, particularly in the face of tough short-term carbon-reduction targets, rising oil and gas prices and concerns about future fossil fuel reserves (See RES’s reports ‘Plugging the Gap: A Survey of World Fuel Resources and their Impact on the Development of Wind Energy’ and ‘Global Warming : A guide to its origins and effects’). Alongside wind power will be the development of other sustainable technologies including marine renewables, biomass, microgeneration and buildings-integrated heat and power systems.

Renewable energy continues to enjoy public support. Respondents to a BBC poll in 2006 voted for renewable energy as the favourite technology for the UK’s energy generating mix. An NOP survey revealed that 85% of the general public support the use of renewable energy, 81% are in favour of wind power and just over three fifths would be happy to live within 5km of a wind power development, findings that confirm once again the high level of public support for the development of wind power.

With a substantial background in renewable energy technology and its implementation, RES is able to offer an unrivalled level of capability to those seeking to harness new forms of clean, abundant, sustainable and economically competitive power.