It is well documented by commentators and policy makers alike that the nation needs to look to alternative and renewable forms of energy to help power our businesses and heat our homes. There is no question that alongside other renewable sources, hydroelectricity has an increasingly important role to play, and the government has set targets for hydroelectric generation for each part of the country as part of the renewable energy policy.
The Small Hydro Company (SHC) is working with British Waterways (BW) to develop approximately 25 small-scale hydroelectricity schemes along the public corporation’s 2,200 mile waterway network
Good for energy production
The 25 proposed small-scale hydroelectricity schemes will generate 210,000 mega watt hours of renewable energy per annum, enough power for c.40,000 homes. The five sites where planning permission has been applied for to date are variously projected to contribute between 2.3% and 19.0% to the government targets for their regions .
Good for climate change
The 25 planned hydroelectricity schemes are expected to save an annual 110,000 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to taking 30,555 family sized cars off the road (based on average car use of 10,000 miles per year).
Hydropower does not pollute the environment as it does not require the use of harmful substances.
Good for biodiversity
Far from harming biodiversity, our hydroelectric installations will actually be good for the biodiversity of our navigable rivers.
Whilst screens deflect fish away from the electricity-producing turbines to ensure that migrating fish are not entrapped, entrained or impinged, the installation of fish passes at weirs will remove a barrier that has impeded migrating fish and eels since the rivers were made navigable in the 18th and 19th centuries. There should be an increase in both the number of species and the total number of fish due to these new fish passes.
Opening up navigations to fish and eel migration will be a major contribution to increasing the biodiversity of our river systems for the benefit of the environment, local communities and anglers.
Good for water control
Our hydroelectric installations will not cause flooding. They are designed to be completely neutral in their effect on flooding. At least the same volume of water will pass downstream when the river floods as would have passed over the weir without the installation being present. In fact, where proposed, the raised weirs preserve navigation above the weir.
Good for local communities
The 25 hydroelectricity schemes are expected to create 150 construction jobs, at a time when many companies are having to freeze recruitment or even lose staff.
Once the turbines are installed the sites will be landscaped to preserve the local environment and encourage biodiversity. In some cases SHC will work with local bodies to ensure that the installation is an interesting and educational feature of the landscape.
Good for the waterways
The income BW will receive from hydropower will generate much needed money to spend on maintaining the historic 200-year old network of canals and rivers.
The waterway environment will be improved by the opening up of the navigable rivers to fish and eel migration, increasing biodiversity along the network.
Good practice
Environment: Environmental risk assessments have been completed at each site and include mitigations for any significant issues revealed. For example, if bats are present on the site, they will be found new homes in bat boxes. SHC’s methods of construction mean that the risk of any spillage entering the river is minimal as sites have barriers around them.
Construction: SHC’s contractors are members of the Considerate Contractor Scheme, and will always be sympathetic to the needs of local residents. SHC works within environment guidelines and deploy equipment and techniques to minimise any noise and vibration emanating from the construction works.
Noise: All installations must meet noise level criteria set by the local council. At larger sites, the turbines and generators will be below ground level, so the levels of noise will be very low, insulated by the concrete of the structure and the water.
Safety: Safety is very important and the sites will be fenced off. Screens with very narrow gaps between the bars prevent people, animals and objects being swept in. The speed of the water is very low and the outlets are also guarded by screens. The generators are fully encased, and the control systems and transformers will be in securely locked containers.
Maintenance: The turbines will have 24 hour remote monitoring systems to detect any problems and an engineer will visit the installation once a day. The machines are designed to run for long periods without any intervention, with a couple of days planned maintenance every year. Major maintenance work would be infrequent, would only take a week, and would not involve large volumes of traffic or noise.
Landscape: The installations are mostly underground, and in many cases are on or next to lock islands, with no great visual impact. At each site there will be small buildings to house the control systems and transformer which will be landscaped.
The table below shows the expected output of each site planning permission has been applied for alongside the government targets for hydro in the region.
