Hydro and Biomass Sites

Hydro and biomass sites

Hydropower is the renewable energy contained in flowing water. Electricity generated using hydropower is known as hydroelectricity and is generally considered to be reliable.

Wood-fuelled heating systems, also called biomass systems, burn wood pellets, chips or logs to provide warmth in a single room or to power central heating and hot water boilers or to provide district heating.

Arrochar Community Hydro Society

Officially opened in 2018, the hydro scheme is located in Arrochar, on Luss Estates’ land, in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The build cost was £660K and funds were raised through a community share offer. www.arrocharhydro.coop

Highland Community Energy Society

Highland Community Energy Society owns a stake in six hydro projects at numerous sites in the Highlands of Scotland. The latest community share offer raised £1.35 million to claim a stane in four of these sites. www.hces.coop

Kinlochbervie Community Energy

Kinlochbervie Community Energy Limited is a new 200kW hydro scheme which is being constructed near Rhiconich, Kinlochbervie. The latest community share offer to complete the project will be launching in Summer 2021. www.hces.coop/kinlochbervie

LEG Power Lochaber

LEG Power Lochaber are constructing a new 100% community owned 547kW hydro scheme on land owned by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) at Glenachulish in Lochaber. This is being funded by a £1,880,000 public share offer raised in August 2021. www.legpower.coop

RainePower

Following 5 years of research, Rainepower was created as a community benefit society in 2015 by K-SET with the help of Energy4All. After raising funds via a share offer the installation of a 35kW Archimedean screw turbine in the River Lune was completed. www.rainepower.coop

Rumbling Bridge Community Hydro Society

Located near the small village of Rumbling Bridge, Kinross Scotland, the hydro turbines began generating clean, green electricity in September 2016. Soon after, the Society were ‘Highly Commended’ in the Rushlight Awards 2017. www.rumblingbridgehydro.coop

Springbok Sustainable Wood Heat Co-operative

The co-operative has operated a wood chip fuelled district heating system on the Springbok Estate near Alfold, Surrey since June 2015. Prior to installation of the biomass system the heating was supplied by approximately 20 oil boilers, some of which were quite old and inefficient. www.springbokwoodheat.co.uk/