Whalley Community Hydro
Imagine generating electricity from the River Calder at Whalley weir. The team of local volunteers developing this project have formed an Industrial and Provident Society for community benefit so that income from the sale of electricity can be used to help local people and organisations install more renewables.
The Archimedean screw is expected to generate 100kW with an annual output of about 353,000 kWh. When it begins generating electricity will be exported to the national grid.
Features will include:
- a fish pass to enable salmon and trout to get over the weir.
- opportunities for parties of school children to visit and see it in operation.
- an internet connection so that anyone will be able to check how much electricity is being generated.
The team have been working on this since February 2010 and are now waiting for an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency. Planning permission has been granted by the borough council. DECC’s Local Energy Assessment Fund gave a grant of £20,000 to commission a detailed design study. The report of this study, now completed, provides us with the data for all the planning needed for the installation.
The next step is to start raising the £700,000 needed to pay for the installation and associated costs. Apart from a bank loan, grants, sponsorships and donations, the major source of funding will be a share issue. If you’d like more details or to be kept informed about the share issue check out the new website by clicking here.
