Halton Lune Hydro The biggest community hydro in England
Published on the BBC website in February 2012.
A renewable energy project near Lancaster has been awarded a government grant of £432,900.
The Halton Carbon Positive project involves more environmentally-friendly housing and a new hydro-electric system using water from the River Lune.
The schemes are part of larger ambitions by the village to reduce its carbon footprint.
“We want to show what can be achieved by a community working together,” said project spokesman Brian Jefferson.
“We want a thriving and sustainable local community, with local jobs that don’t harm the environment.”
The money has come from the Rural Carbon Challenge Fund, a scheme managed by Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
It will pay for adaptations to ensure the Halton Lune Hydro’s turbine does not harm the salmon, sea trout and eels in the River Lune, and help fund the installation of a heating system for 40 houses by Lancaster Cohousing.
The hydro scheme is expected to save 530 tonnes of carbon a year and produce enough electricity for an estimated 264 homes
It will allow workspace in a disused mill building, which is being renovated.
Huw Johnson, a director of Lancaster Cohousing, said: “The philosophy of cohousing is based on using the resources available within the community to build a more sustainable, supportive and better way of living.
“We are delighted to be working with the village, and the hydro project, to help us achieve our aim of having zero carbon homes by sourcing energy from local, renewable sources.”
