Halton Lune Hydro The biggest community hydro in England

Until the end of February our focus was on spending the balance of the £300,000 European/Defra grant before the expiry date.  With Christmas and New Year in the middle it proved to be quite a challenge – but we made ...

A new digger has been brought on site to continue excavation through the rock for the fish screen bay, building basement and outfall. Site work has involved excavation of the old mill race (or leat). Bill Hosfield (a local historian) ...

Everyone who invested more than £500 and who indicated that they wished to qualify for Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) tax relief because they participated in the first £150,000 of  investment raised should now have received their share certificates. We ...

John and Alan visited the Czech Republic recently to look at the turbines manufactured by Hydrohrom. Unfortunately Gilkes of Kendal no longer manufacture turbines for low head hydro schemes so we were forced to look abroad. Hydrohrom has an impressive ...

The new retaining wall  is now complete, the bank has been infilled, and woodland fencing has been replaced. The work has been completed using Halton Carbon Positive’s  Rural Climate Challenge Fund grant from Defra. The funding is for environmental works. Excavation ...

New blog in the Guardian by Alison Cahn on the trials and trubulations of setting up a Community Energy scheme. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/the-northerner/2014/jan/28/community-hydropower-energy-strategy-halton-lune

The retaining wall that will stop further erosion of the bank every time the river floods is progressing well, and already looks as though it has always been there it blends in so well.

Workers are on site today, starting to build the retaining wall that will stop the flooding river undercutting the bank. This is part of the work funded by our Defra grant for environmental improvements, that also include building a fish ...

If community energy schemes are part of the government’s energy masterplan, why are there so many planning obstacles? Alison Cahn shares her frustrations with the current system. Originally published in the Guardian on 14th February 2013 Politicians of all hues love talking ...