The Mendip Power Group is a group of owners installing
micro-hydroelectric turbines in a number of historic former
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...
s in the
Mendip area of
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
[Mendip Mills Energy Makeover](_blank)
, '' Centre for Sustainable Energy'', accessed 2007-06-11 The Group is one of several formed after the concept was developed by the
South Somerset Hydropower Group.
The first to start
electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transm ...
was
Tellisford Mill, on the
River Frome, which began operating in April 2007 and which is ultimately expected to produce 75
kW.
Other mills in the Group, together with initial assessments of their capacity, include: Stowford Mill (37 kW) and Shawford Mill (31 kW), Jackdaws Iron Works (10 kW), Glencot House (5.8 kW), Burcott Mill (5.2 kW), Bleadney Mill (5.4 kW), Coleford Mill (6.6 kW), Old Mill (5.2 kW) and Farrants Mill (9.9 kW).
It has been calculated that harnessing the power from all the streams and rivers in the UK could generate 10,000 GWh per year, enough to supply 3% of national generating capacity.
See also
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:Community electricity generation in the United Kingdom
*
Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
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Energy policy of the United Kingdom
*
Energy conservation
Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less and better sources of energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavi ...
*
Renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
External links
Tellisford Mill’s 50kW hydro plant lights up the community
References
{{Electricity generation in South West England
Community electricity generation in the United Kingdom
Electric power companies of the United Kingdom
Hydroelectricity in the United Kingdom
Mendip District