The South Somerset Hydropower Group (SSHG) is a group of 10 owners of former

watermills 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 ...

in the

South Somerset South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England. The South Somerset district covers an area of ranging from the borders with Devon, Wiltshire and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximat ...

area of

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 ...

who are installing micro-hydro turbines for

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 transmi ...

. The Group was founded as a result of an initiative by

South Somerset District Council South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

,Electricity generation from historic water mills
''

Ashden Awards Ashden is a London-based charity that works in the field of sustainable energy and development. Its work includes the annual Ashden Awards, advocacy and research in the field of sustainable energy, and mentoring and practical support for award wi ...

'', accessed 2007-06-11 and was the first of its kind in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

.Heritage Matters
''

Department of Communities and Local Government The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local government in ...

'', accessed 2007-06-11 The Group won one of the 2005

, and the concept has been adopted by a number of other similar groups. The South Somerset Hydropower Project was begun in 2001 and the first turbine, at

Gants Mill Gants Mill is a watermill on the River Brue in Pitcombe near Bruton, Somerset, England. Much of the current mill was built in 1810 but includes parts of the 18th century building and possibly some material from earlier mills, as there has been a ...

(

Pitcombe Pitcombe is a village and civil parish south-west of Bruton and from Wincanton in Somerset, England. It has a population of 532. The parish includes the hamlets of Cole and Godminster. The village lies on the River Pitt and other streams that f ...

), was commissioned in 2003. It now produces up to 12 kW of electricity from a 300 mm

cross-flow turbine A cross-flow turbine, Bánki-Michell turbine, or Ossberger turbine''E.F. Lindsley,'' Water power for your homePopular Science, May 1977, Vol. 210, No. 5 87-93. is a water turbine developed by the Australian Anthony Michell, the Hungarian Donát B ...

. Other sites in the Project include Clapton Mill ( Clapton), Cole Manor ( Bruton), Cary's Mill (

Martock Martock is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish includes Hurst, approximately one mile south of the village, and Bow ...

) and Cutterne Mill ( Evercreech). When all the mills are in operation it is expected that they will collectively generate around 600

MWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

per year, sufficient to supply about 150 homes and avoid the production of 260 tonnes of

carbon dioxide emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

. The SSHG estimates that there are about 40,000 mill sites that might be suitable for micro-hydropower in the United Kingdom. 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.

References

External links

Gant's Mill (Mill's own site)Clapton Mill (Mill's own site)Hydro Generation - Micro-hydro System Supplier
{{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 South Somerset Companies based in Somerset

See also

References

External links