West Oxford Community Renewables

If you haven’t used your energyshare votes yet, can I ask you to consider supporting The Hub Lyme Regis in the large project category?

What makes The Hub special is its deep social impact. As well as adopting a progressive energy strategy, it’s a new project that reaches into the heart of our community, valuing young people and giving them the best start in life we can. We haven’t had a youth centre for a long time so this is a fresh start with lots of local good will to make it work. The Hub Lyme Regis is about vision, optimism, support and a unique moment to create something very special. It’s a very good story.

For details, please look at our project profile on www.energyshare.com/wwwhublymecouk

Hi,
I am contacting you as a representative of Action for Sustainable Living (AfSL). We are a charity based in Manchester, and are currently attempting to set up a renewable energy community project. Our first associated project, ‘Sustainable Living in the Heatons’, (http://www.energyshare.com/slh/)< is also part of the energyshare network. However we wish to place this on a larger scale, and expand the support we can give to potential community energy projects within the greater Manchester area.
As a result I am getting in contact with community energy projects across the country, to attain advise that can help our project come to fruition.
I'm trying to find out more about the successes and challenges facing communities who are interested in community energy projects.
If you can spare 5 minutes, I'd be grateful if you could answer the following questions to help me with my research:

1) What kind of group is leading on your project? (constituted group, school, charity/not-for-profit, organisation, or other)

2) How did this group first start coming together?
3) What project ideas have you looked at so far as part of your energy reducing work? Please provide details of successes and challenges if possible.

4) Would you describe getting local people to support your energy project as:

I. Easy

ii. Moderate

iii. Challenging

iv. Difficult


5) What kinds of support have you had from other groups or organizations?
6) What other kind of support would help you to develop yore project?


Thanks a lot for your time and help. If you would like to find out more about my project or can spare a few minutes to discuss these issues in person please express an interest in your reply and we’ll arrange a way to talk.



With best wishes,


Sebastian Summers

Email – ssummers.afsl@hotmail.com
Phone – 07729 560926

Economic power generation requires both adequate weir height and adequate flow. The site must also have an amenable owner and be close enough to cables suitable for taking the power generated.
Heights on river weirs match their respective locks - for which data can be found on the internet. Flows at each weir in this area will be similar. However, in dry periods generation has to cease, in order to maintain river levels, and during very high flows (such as floods) the water level below a weir will rise, so reducing the fall across it, and tending to reduce the possible power generated. Viability assessment must take account of this seasonal variation.
The canal cannot be used to generate power because it was designed for transport of goods, not water, so has very low flow rates. It has a few weirs however, to allow overflow as it is kept topped up by the Cherwell.

I raised this with Andrew Smith and the Environment Agency and their answer was that the height on all the other weirs wasn't sufficient to justify any implementation. I still think we should still pursue it as technology and the economics changes. Happy to share the letter from the Environment Agency if anyone is interested.

THERE THE OLD MILL BEHIND OXPENS ROAD, GODSTOW LOCK, KINGS WEIR, IFFLEY LOCK, SANDFORD LOCK AND ALL ALONG THE CANEL AS WELL CAN WE DO ALL OF THEM