Energy

National Trust opens new hydro turbine in Snowdonia

Published

9 years ago

October 29, 2014

Blue & Green Tomorrow

Conservation charity the National Trust has switched on a new hydro turbine at Hafod y Porth in Snowdonia in a partnership with clean energy supplier Good Energy, in an effort to boost the organisation’s renewable portfolio.

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The turbine is the first of its kind to be pre-fabricated off site before being assembled on location. It cost £550,000 and has a capacity of just under 100kW. It is expected to pay back in around six years.

The project is part of the National Trust’s £3.5 million Renewable Energy Investment (REI) Programme launched last year to generate clean power. The Trust already launched a hydro plant in Snowdonia, at Haford y Llan farm.

Keith Jones, National Trust environmental practices advisor, said, “We do get a lot of unpredictably wet weather in Snowdonia. This can be great when the hydro is in, but it’s not ideal for construction – a couple of flash floods can wash away days of hard work. By pre-fabricating components off site we’re removing a lot of these risks, reducing our carbon footprint and driving down our overall costs.”

The energy generated will be sold to the renewable energy supplier Good Energy, which is the charity’s partner in the project, while the money raised will be invested in conservation projects in the region.

Juliet Davenport OBE, founder and CEO of Good Energy, commented, “Our vision is to help create a safer, greener Britain.

“Good Energy is proud to be buying electricity generated at National Trust sites like this. This hydro investment of £550,000, which will be paid back over the next six years, is a fantastic example of the technological innovation in renewables.”