On Wednesday 20 November 2013, Blake Lapthorn's climate change team hosted a green breakfast seminar. Guest Speaker Dr. Barbara Hammond, talked about the high profile and long awaited, first community owned micro hydro scheme on the upper Thames.
10. www.lowcarbonhub.org
Working with 25 communities
Eco-Bicester
Sustainable
Kirtlington
Sustainable
Woodstock
Kidlington
Versus
Climate
Change
Transition
Chipping Norton
Sustainable
Charlbury
Low Carbon
Oxford North
Eynsham
Green TEA
Abingdon Hydro
Sustainable
Wallingford
Osney Lock
Hydro
Goring &Streatley
Sustainability Group
Sustainable
Faringdon
Westmill
Sustainable
Didcot
11. www.lowcarbonhub.org
Numbers
Since 2007
To 2015
9
4 (282)
2600+
12
25
14 (2000)
3000+
12 retained plus 5 created
489kW (20)
568MWh
0
18MW (14)
2620MWh
0
£1.8m
£200k
£330k
£18m
£3m
£450k
People
Groups doing energy projects
Share offers (shareholders)
Households engaged on energy efficiency
Jobs
Planet
Installed capacity (schemes)
Electricity generated per annum
Heat generated per annum
Pounds
Investment: renewables
Investment: retrofitting
Community benefit donations
12. www.lowcarbonhub.org
Upper Thames Microhydro Projects
Private
Osney Mill 35kW
operational
Mapledurham 100kW operational
Buscot 30kW
Benson
Shiplake
Sonning
Community
Osney Lock 49kW
Flights Mill 37kW
Abingdon 100kW
Goring 280kW
Shifford 150kW
Radcot 35kW
Godstow 100kW
Sandford 420kW
Days Lock 320kW
under development
stalled
at planning
at planning
at pre-app
at pre-app
at pre-app
pre-app landowner issues
landowner issues
Maybe community
Sutton Courtney 300kW at pre-app
Rushey
at pre-app
13. www.lowcarbonhub.org
Planning and regulation issues
• Three unrelated processes:
• Licencing (and abstraction/impoundment not
fit for purpose)
• Planning approval
• Fish pass approval
• EA silos
• Flood management great
• Fisheries/ecology very difficult
• Legal/finance/asset management very difficult
• Water Framework Directive
• Fish pass requirement
• Environmental studies
14. www.lowcarbonhub.org
Asks
• Integrated licencing/planning process:
• EA and LPA working together
• Transparent process
• Clear parameters
• EA tasked to help communities
• Oxfordshire partnership working repeated
• Direction on EA assets for communities
• Direction on hydro v angling
• Funding to cover extra costs/time
• Higher FiT or
• Grant funding for public good ie fish passes