End July 2010 - Update

Following the rainy spell in the middle of July there was sufficient water in the river for us to generate on 12 days out of 31

In total, we generated 5432 kWh of which 13% was supplied to Bridge End Mill and 87% was supplied to the Grid.

The Hydro site continues to attract many visitors from all over the country - a planned 5 minute site visit to check that everything is OK can easily extend to 2 hours spent answering questions and showing visitors around the Power House!

The recent share offer has attracted some new members and raised some very welcome funds. We have decided to keep the share offer open until the end of the year and so if you would like to become a partner in this fantastic project then please download an Application Form from our website (http://www.settlehydro.org.uk/)

Incidentally, did you know that you can now view the hydro over the internet - just follow the link on our website for up-to-the-minute shots of the screw, weir and inlet channel. You can also see whether we are currently generating and how much we have generated to date.

What do we do with all the trophies we have won over the past few months? With the kind permission of Craven District Council, we have put them on display in one of the windows of Settle Town Hall along with some information on the project.

2010 Yorkshire Rural Awards

We are very proud and honoured that Settle Hydro has received a second prestigious award.

Last night (13th May 2010) at the 2010 Yorkshire Rural Awards held at The Pavilions of Harrogate, we won the Green Business Award. The award was presented by John Craven of BBC Countryfile fame.

From left to right we have Chris I'Anson (shareholder, business advisor and great supporter)), John Craven (not as much sex appeal as Julia Bradbury!), Ann Harding (Director and Chief Rain Dancer!), Sue (my lovely new wife of 4 wks) and me (wonky bow tie and all!)

Nominations for the awards had been received from all over rural Yorkshire and had been judged by Sir Thomas Ingleby (Ripley Castle), Keith Maudley (The Yorkshire Society), Paul Theakston (Black Sheep Brewery), Robert Flanagan (Country Publications Ltd), Paul Jackson (Editor, Dalesman) and Gary Verity (Welcome to Yorkshire).

Our Award

Oue Plaque

Update - 6th March 2010

As of the End February 2010 we have generated approx. 12000kWh.

This is below our forecast due to the exceptionally dry couple of months we have experienced (resulting in very low river flows). Hopefully we will have more rain over the next couple of months!

Once a minute we are monitoring and recording the river level (Head) and the power being generated. The information enables us to check that we are operating within the parameters set by the Environment Agency and also provides us with useful data regarding the relationship between river flow and  generated power. An example of the graphs we can produce is shown below:

When the river level has allowed us to generate, the plant has performed very well with no problems.

We will shortly be starting on the projects funded by LEADER. We will be installing webcams and remote monitoring of the site's performance. This means that you will be able to view the current and historical performance of the scheme over the web. We will also be paving the viewing area and installing information boards for the benefit of the many visitors we get to the site.

Yesterday we had a meeting with the Environment Agency Fishery Expert. He is going to help us develop an information board that will explain the Salmon and Sea Trout migration in the Ribble.

Settle Hydro win 2010 Yorkshire Post Community Environment Award - 4th March 2010

GREAT NEWS

At a Celebratory Dinner held in Leeds on Thursday 4th March 2010, Settle Hydro were presented with a trophy as winners of the 2010 Yorkshire Post Community Environmental Award. The evening was hosted by Julia Bradbury (of BBC Countryfile fame) and the awards were presented by Rt Hon Hilary Benn (MP for Leeds Central and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Click hear to view a Video of Awards Ceremony

The Yorkshire Post will shortly be publishing a supplement containing details of the awards and loads of photographs taken during the evening.

Ann and Steve proudly holding the coveted Award

Ann & Steve with Sue (Steve's partner) and Chris I'Anson (a shareholder and someone who has given us a great deal of support and assistance throughout the project)

Ann & Chris enjoying the Celebratory Dinner

Steve & Sue awaiting the announcement of the results.

18th January 2010 - Visitors from West Africa

Ann &  I showed some visitors from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso around the hydro.

The visitors were guests of the Settle Rotary Club and are all involved in the water industry in their home countries.

16th January 2010 - The thaw arrives!

The thaw finally came on 16th January 2010.

The pictures below show how the river was transformed within a matter of hours.

I don't think there will be many salmon trying to negotiate the fish pass today!

The river overflowed into the viewing area!

15th January 2010

With all the snow and freezing conditions, the river level has been as low as we would normally see in the middle of a summer drought. As a consequence, we have not been able to generate any electricity for the past couple of weeks or complete the commissioning process we started before Christmas.

As I write this blog, it has started raining down in Settle and so hopefully the thaw is starting and we will soon have more water in the river. Before we are able to recommence turning the screw we will need to recalibrate the river level sensor and demonstrate it's effectiveness to the Environment Agency. This work is scheduled for next Thursday & Friday (21st & 22nd January).

Julian Smith, our local Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, visited the site this morning - see the pictures below. Although the screw wasn't turning, we were able top give Julian a short tour and talked through the challenges and frustrations of implementing such a scheme.

Julian Smith & Ann

Julian Smith & Steve