A tree crashed down on Fulwith Mill Lane in Harrogate today as strong winds continued to affect the district.

Yesterday’s warmest day of the year so far was accompanied by Storm Kathleen.

Although the worst of the winds hit Scotland, there was widespread disruption in England as flights were cancelled at Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham.

The Harrogate district has been relatively unscathed and winds are expected to abate this afternoon.

Besides the fallen tree, Little Bird Markets cancelled artisan markets in Knaresborough yesterday and Harrogate today because of the weather.

Further gusts of over 40mph are forecast on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo: The tree blocking Fulwith Mill Lane at about noon today (April 7).

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Today’s strong winds are having an impact on local attractions on Christmas Eve.

The ice rink at Crescent Gardens in Harrogate announced on social media it would be closed for the second time in recent days due to wind.

It said:

“Due to the Met Office yellow warning for today being wind gusts up to 61mph, it will be unsafe conditions to ice skate.

“It is with great regret that we have therefore made the difficult decision to close the ice rink for Christmas Eve.

“We plan to reopen the ice rink as usual on Boxing Day but please keep an eye on our social media.”

RHS Garden Harlow Carr has also closed due to the weather. It posted on social media:

“Unfortunately due to the forecast of strong winds, the garden will be closed all day on Christmas Eve. Betty’s will be open from 8am and the garden centre (except the glasshouse) will be open as usual.”

Mother Shipton’s in Knaresborough has said it will be closing slightly earlier than scheduled on Christmas Eve due to the weather warning.

A yellow weather warning is in place with gusts of up to 66mph forecast in the Harrogate district.

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Flood warnings remain active across the Harrogate district this morning after a wild night of weather that saw several trees fall.

The entire length of the River Nidd and its tributaries and the Lower River Ure are subject to flood alerts by the Environment Agency.

More severe flood warnings are in place at Hunsingore on the Nidd and on at Boroughbridge camping and caravanning site on the Ure.

Last night saw several trees crash down, including one outside Valley Gardens in Harrogate at the bottom of Valley Drive.

Helen Bagnall, who witnessed the incident, said:

“The tree has fallen on top of a car and is completely blocking the road, I tried to ring the police but there is nobody answering unless it’s an emergency. It just kept going round in circles, asking me if I wanted to report dog fouling.”

Grayston Plain Lane at Hampsthwaite was blocked next to the Northern Energy site due to a fallen tree.

A tree also came down at the Oval in Harrogate.

Last night saw firefighters rescue two people trapped in a car that got stuck in floodwater in Ripon shortly before 7pm.

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The Met Office has issued a weather warning covering the Harrogate district tomorrow.

The yellow alert for wind is active from 9am to 11.45pm.

Gusts over 40 mph are expected, along with persistent morning rain. Further rain is expected over the next few days.

The Met Office map for tomorrow.

Two flood alerts and a more severe flood warning remain in place locally after yesterday’s heavy rain.

The warning is active on the River Nidd at Hunsingore. The latest Environment Agency update at 11.13am today said the old corn mill area is most at risk, adding:

“Residents are strongly urged to take action now. Remain safe and be aware of your surroundings. Monitor local water levels and weather conditions. Consider putting your flood plan into action.”

A flood alert for the Lower River Ure, updated at 9.31am today, said:

“Areas most at risk include low-lying land including agricultural land and local roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.”

A flood alert covering land around the Lower River Nidd and its tributaries, including Sand Beck, Sike Beck, Pool Beck and Great Gutter was last updated at 9.03am today.

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A weather warning has been issued from noon tomorrow until 7am on Thursday as Storm Agnes approaches.

The Met Office has forecast “a spell of strong and disruptive winds through Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday” for most of Britain.

In Harrogate, gusts of up to 44mph are predicted, with the worst of the wind expected tomorrow evening.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning, which is less severe than amber and red warnings.

It said power cuts, damage to building and travel disruption are possible.

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When Peter Kavanagh gave up a career in finance to set up a wind energy company 13 years ago, some thought he had lost his marbles. He says:

“A lot of people said to me ‘you are wasting your time, wind turbines don’t generate money, you’re crazy’. I wanted to prove them wrong and it felt like the right thing to do for the next generation.”

Mr Kavanagh, 44, now runs Knaresborough firm Harmony Energy, which employs 33 staff and acts as the ultimate advisor to London-listed Harmony Energy Income Trust PLC, which is valued at £274 million.

The company operates wind, solar and battery energy storage systems and has relationships with companies like Tesla.

It has schemes in New Zealand and France as well as the UK, where one of its projects involves developing a battery storage facility at Wormald Green, between Ripon and Harrogate, which will have the capacity to power 9,000 homes. Work on the site is due to start this year and the firm would like to also build a solar farm there.

Not only has Mr Kavanagh proved the doubters wrong, he has also given investors the chance to behave ethically while generating a return on their money.

But for all the talk of the climate crisis and soaring energy bills, the battle to establish renewable energy has been far from straightforward.

Mr Kavanagh cites connectivity to the grid as the main ‘blocker’. He says a lot of development projects fail simply because the grid is full and they can’t connect.

Grid connection, planning issues and land agreements are the three essential issues when choosing sites, he says. Harmony negotiates sites and employs four project managers plus experts in fields such as law, finance and asset management to oversee progress.

Harmony Energy’s battery energy storage system at Pillswood, near Hull.

There’s also the slight matter of trying to wean the nation off fossil fuel companies, which continue to generate billions of pounds of profit and benefit from relationships built up with government over years.

Harmony has shifted its focus from wind to battery energy storage systems because of a change in the political climate since it was founded. Mr Kavanagh explains:

“Because of planning rules in England it’s almost impossible to build a wind farm in England now.

“In 2016 we were submitting planning for a completely unsubsidised development but pulled it because at the time David Cameron changed the rules on planning which pretty much made that sort of development impossible, which is frustrating because had we and others been able to develop at the time then going into this energy crisis England would have been in a much better position.”

He admits wind is “contentious” but says recent survey since the war in Ukraine started suggests more people support it, adding:

“If I was in government — obviously I’m slightly biased — I’d be saying ‘let’s build as much unsubsidised renewable energy as we can, look at land use, but look at it as a whole’. Even if we used up all the land for large scale solar requirements, for example, the stats published by national bodies say we would only use three per cent of the overall land mass.

“It makes sense because we desperately need energy bills to come down because businesses are going bust left, right and centre.”

Battery energy

Battery energy is the main focus now. So far, Mr Kavanagh has overseen the development of 500 megawatts of battery energy storage systems in the UK with the Harmony group. Harmony is Tesla’s biggest customer in Europe, having been ordering its batteries since 2016.

Harmony’s largest scheme is at Pillswood, which employs a Tesla two-hour megapack system that has the capacity to store up to 196 megawatt hours of electricity in a single cycle. This is enough electricity to power about 300,000 UK homes for two hours.

He says batteries are “the key to unlocking the potential of other renewable technologies, including solar” because they enable electricity to be stored until it is needed by the grid.

Because wind and sunshine aren’t predictable, they produce intermittent energy. Batteries can stabilise and balance this outflow of electricity and ensure it is used more effectively.

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Harmony uses lithium batteries, made of 93% recycled content, says Mr Kavanagh.

The company was floated on the London stock exchange in November 2021 with a market capitalisation of £210 million. Its value has since soared to £274 million.

Its latest set of accounts, for the year ending December 31, 2021 showed a £33m profit compared to a £1m loss in the previous year.

Mr Kavanagh acknowledges this financial transformation was largely due to the stock market listing but adds 2022 was “another good year for us” and talks about hiring more staff and exploring new markets in Germany, Italy and Poland.

‘Not all about the money’

It is easy to be cynical about combining ethics and profit but Mr Kavanagh insists he is “100% not all about money”. He says investors appreciate the chance to support renewables and it’s hard to dispute the fact the planet needs change to survive.

He says the company tries to behave ethically in other ways, for instance it did not furlough any staff during covid and refused business rate relief from Harrogate Borough Council during the pandemic.

“I said ‘you should not be handing free rates out willy-nilly. Morally I felt it was the right thing to do and I wish others had done the same because the bill from covid will cripple the economy.”

Harmony, which is based at Conyngham Hall and also had an office in London’s Bond Street, supports various local good causes, including Henshaws, Candlelighters and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It sponsors the Harrogate 10k race — an event keen runner Mr Kavanagh took part in last year. The firm also has a community fund supporting green schemes in areas where it operates.

Harmony is based at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.

Mr Kavanagh, a father-of-two, also tries to live ethically. His home in Birstwith is “predominantly powered by solar”, he owns an electric vehicle and travels by train when possible.

He also follows a plant-based diet, although this is partly a legacy of being diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was 29.

That experience played a major role in his change of career direction after a decade in finance. He says:

“You can make a return but do it in the right way. That’s the ethos we are trying to get through on Harmony. We are trying to build infrastructure without any support from the UK taxpayers, that’s as green as it possibly can be so it’s not only environmentally sustainable but from a financial point of view.”

Mr Kavanagh is also a director of Jones Food Company, Europe’s largest high care hydroponics facility now majority owned by the Ocado Group, and is an early-stage investor in several green tech companies outside of Harmony.

Despite the challenges. he says the tide is turning and he is optimistic about the future of renewable energy.

“We are minnows compared to big boys like EDF but a key advantage is that we are nimble and can move quickly.

“That’s why our focus will always be primarily on energy storage because it’s such a huge need. Anywhere that has a lot of intermittent energy will require lots of storage.”

He says if you can build a solar farm in North Yorkshire without any taxpayers’ support you can build one anywhere in Europe and it was looking to work with “trusted partners” in new areas on the continent. He says:

“The UK will always be our core market but we see lots of potential in Europe.

“Being a small part of the solution is what drives us. If we can be 10% of the market in 10 years time I will be very happy.”

People across the Harrogate district are being warned to be prepared for strong winds overnight and into tomorrow’s morning rush hour.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning, with wind speeds expected to reach around 65mph between 7am and 9am as Storm Otto arrives in the UK.

The National Trust has already said both Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks will be closed tomorrow morning because of the forecast.

The Swinton Estate is closing its parklands and gardens, as well as its bivouac woodland, from tomorrow morning until Monday.

RHS Harlow Carr also said it may also have to restrict access to its site during the high winds.

⚠ Potential partial closure – Friday 17 February ⚠

Please be aware high winds are forecast for Friday 17th Feb, therefore some areas of the garden including the Woodland, Arboretum and Alpine House may need to close for safety reasons. Please check before you travel. pic.twitter.com/QTliEBeCVf

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) February 16, 2023

The winds are expected to ease from lunchtime, dropping to around 20mph until the weather warning ends at 2pm.

The National Trust said Fountains Abbey could re-open at noon, while Brimham Rocks will only re-open later in the afternoon once tree safety checks have been completed.

In its warning, the Met Office said:

“Very strong winds developing through Friday morning associated with Storm Otto may bring disruption to travel.

“Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. High-sided vehicles may be particularly prone in this set-up. Some roads and bridges may close.

“Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen. Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible.”

Power cuts

Meanwhile, Northern Powergrid has urged customers who might be vulnerable during a power cut to register for its free priority services membership. It is aimed at older people, those with disabilities or additional medical or communication needs, families with young children, and anyone in a vulnerable situation.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Our electricity network is operating as normal, however, we wanted to reassure you that we are closely monitoring the weather across our operating areas, and our teams are ready and prepared to respond if this weather has any impact on our network…

“If you have additional needs due to your medical or personal circumstances, and are not part of our Priority Services Membership, you should consider joining for free.

“It will help us to support you during a power cut including regular updates on the situation and considering alternative needs such as food and accommodation.”

Power cuts can be reported by calling 105, or via the Northern Powergrid website, which also has a map of known problems.

The Stray Ferret will report any problems caused by the high winds over night and tomorrow morning. Keep checking our website and our Facebook and Twitter feeds for the latest updates.

To tell us about the impact of the storm, send us an email.

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A weather warning for strong wind has been issued for the Harrogate district.

The Met Office has put the yellow warning in place for Friday (February 17) between 6am and 6pm.

The organisation has said strong winds through the day “may bring disruption to traffic”.

It has also warned that there is a “slight chance” of power cuts and cancellations to public transport services.

Meanwhile, Northern Powergrid has assured people that it is aware of the warning and has measures in place to tackle any disruption to its network.

A statement from the company said:

“Teams are ready to mobilise colleagues and support as this situation develops.

“This weather front does have the potential to have an impact and cause damage to the network, so there is a possibility that there could be disruption to power supplies in at least some parts of the region.

“Relevant teams are on standby and ready to be diverted onto the storm response should this materialise.”

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