Green electricity from River Bain Hydro19 May 2011
The first community-owned hydro plant in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has officially started generating electricity.
Members and supporters of the River Bain Hydro project celebrated with an official Switch On event.
The new hydro plant produces enough electricity for around 40 homes and will save an estimated 3,000 tonnes of CO2 over an expected lifetime of 40 years.
The project was inspired by the work of h2oPE, a social enterprise.
Steve Walsh, Managing Director of h2oPE, is convinced of the potential for many more similar schemes right across the region:
There are plenty of disused weirs in this area and many are ideal for this type of small-scale hydro project. It's great to think that we can reclaim our old industrial heritage and put it to a practical use, generating renewable energy. It's not only beneficial in terms of providing electricity, but it's also beneficial to the environment
Steve Walsh, h2oPE Managing Director
© h2oPE
