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 milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
s in the
Mendip area of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
[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 South Somerset Hydropower Group (SSHG) is a group of 10 owners of former watermills in the South Somerset area of England who are installing micro-hydro turbines for electricity generation. The Group was founded as a result of an initiative b ...
.
The first to start
electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its s ...
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
Energy in the United Kingdom came mostly from fossil fuels in 2021. Total energy consumption in the United Kingdom was 142.0million tonnes of oil equivalent (1,651 TWh) in 2019. In 2014, the UK had an energy consumption ''per capita'' of 2.78t ...
*
Energy policy of the United Kingdom
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Energy conservation
*
Renewable energy
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