A river is keeping a local school's lights on – is this a community solution to Britain's energy crisis?
Labour’s wants to make Britain a "clean energy superpower", Whalley Community Hydro scheme and others like it could set them on the right track.
Nestled in the Ribble Valley - consistently ranked as one of the UK’s best places to live - is Whalley, a large village built around the banks of the River Calder. And the community-based hydro scheme constantly turning in that river could be part of making the country a more sustainable and energy-efficient place.
Hydro power has paid investors five per cent interest most years, and many of the local schools in Whalley are now covered with solar panels. But if the benefits of renewable energy from rivers flow easily, there is still plenty to do for the founders of community energy schemes like this one.
Whalley Community Hydro Limited was conceived in 2010 and began generating electricity from the Calder in 2014, after raising £750,000 in a local share issue.
Its Archimedes screw harnesses power from the flow of water created in a weir that originally supplied water to Whalley Abbey 600 years ago.
It makes its money from selling the electricity to the National Grid and the feed-in tariff, which guarantees renewable energy suppliers a fixed price for what they generate. Profits are then ploughed into local community schemes that increase energy security, such as the schools’ solar roofs - but not reducing villagers bills directly, the average energy bill in this area for a three-bedroom home is around £1,650-a-year according to comparison sites (around the same as the UK average).
Among renewables, solar depends on daylight, and wind depends on the wind actually blowing. But hydro is an “interesting distinction”, points out Tim Ashworth, former engineer and chair of Whalley Community Hydro, as it produces “24-hour generation, day and night.”
According to the British Hydro Association [BHA], the first hydroelectricity in the UK came in the 1870s from a generator that powered a single lamp at Cragside House in Northumberland. It went on to supply farm buildings on the estate.
Today, hydro accounts for about 2 per cent of UK electricity generation, says the BHA, from 1,657 schemes. Some of that comes from small-scale projects such as Whalley Community Hydro, Halton Lune Hydro, also in Lancashire, Settle Hydro in Yorkshire and Stockport Hydro.
While 2 per cent isn’t much, it’s a long-proven technology, particularly geared to winter generation and has the potential to grow. Whalley Community Hydro produces about 70 per cent of its power in the winter months, according to Ashworth, and “it’s very, very rare for us to be stopped”.
Rare, but not never, he acknowledges. Strict Environment Agency regulations mean the volunteers must stop the Archimedes screw turning if the water level drops below a certain point, so fish can keep swimming.
The costly fish pass was just one of the commitments the Whalley founders had to make. They needed to find land to rent and to battle against local interests to get planning permission. Grant support was limited to some funding for a feasibility scheme and a bank pulled its co-operation at the last minute, forcing the directors to put some of their own money in.
A big challenge was where to send the electricity that would be generated. It wasn’t feasible to run a cable over the river to Whalley’s substation and it was only because of a friendly and persuasive Electricity North staff member that his superiors agreed to build a new substation across the farmer’s field from Whalley Community Hydro’s kit.
“By harnessing the power of water, these projects create sustainable, long-term benefits, keeping profits and decision-making within the community while reinforcing the importance of energy independence in the transition to a low-carbon future.”
But the 320 investors who put up the £750,000 – 70 per cent of whom were from East Lancashire – clearly disagreed with locals opposing the scheme.
Objections came from organisations including Bowland Game Fishing Association, Ribble Fisheries, Consultative Association, Ribble Rivers Trust, the Mid Ribble Angling Society and the Salmon and Trout Association. They claimed they were concerned about impact on the river environment, noise from the generator and flooding risk. Planning officials said it would have harmful visual impact. But with Environment Agency approval and consent of two local landowners it was approved.
Those investing at an average of £2,340 investment been rewarded with their 5 per cent dividend every year bar two, when generating was low, but a survey revealed most of them were in it for the ethics rather than the money, says Ashworth.
Approximately £160,000 has been spent on community benefits so far, including solar panels and LED lighting at nine local schools, six community halls and three sports facilities. A further primary school installation is on the way but Ashworth admits they must do some more marketing to make other potential beneficiaries aware of the funding opportunities.
Kate Gilmartin, chief executive of the BHA, says: “Community hydropower projects are the heartbeat of the communities they serve, providing not only clean, reliable energy but also fostering local resilience, economic opportunity, and environmental stewardship.
“By harnessing the power of water, these projects create sustainable, long-term benefits, keeping profits and decision-making within the community while reinforcing the importance of energy independence in the transition to a low-carbon future.”
In the meantime, the cash in the bank will help with planning for Whalley Community Hydro’s next stage. Its feed-in tariff arrangement is due to end in 2034, and maintenance costs continue to rise.
It will continue in some form, insists Ashworth, but he says the future of hydro lies more in larger-scale plants linked to reservoirs. Scotland and Wales have them, England doesn’t, but there are dozens of reservoirs upstream on the River Calder and even more further up on the Ribble.
The head start enjoyed by Scotland and Wales owes much to their higher mountains, plentiful lakes and high levels of rainfall, allowing for steep flows of water, storage and replenishment. Scotland’s government has pressed home this advantage with grants for small hydro schemes and today 85 per cent of hydro power generated in the UK comes from Scotland.
Some critics suggest small-scale local energy schemes cannot play a meaningful part in the country’s drive to net zero. But Ashworth says the current electricity distribution network is “so inadequate it’s unbelievable” and although it needs massive investment to upgrade, the pace of technological change is so great that forecasting costs 10 or 20 years out is too difficult.
“Politicians have never been able to do it and are getting worse and worse by the day,” Ashworth adds. “But it’s also hard for the professionals. It just isn't fair to expect them to do that.
“But there's another part of the equation – small generators, generating and distributing that energy absolutely locally.”
Germany and Denmark are good examples of countries generating and distributing locally, he says, and there’s been a belated realisation about this among UK politicians – perhaps only in the last 12 months. Combined authorities, such as the one planned for Lancashire, could help, he adds.
Around 80 per cent of Denmark’s electricity mix is from renewables, mainly wind and solar. Since 2011 developers of new projects have been forced to offer at least 20 per cent of shares to local residents and cannot make a profit on that part.
Denmark, with its small population, had 600 citizen-led energy projects, according to a study published in Nature in 2023. Germany, which has a favourable legal framework for community ownership, had 11,500. In the UK the figure was only 533.
Labour’s mission to “make Britain a clean energy superpower” includes a promise of “up to £600m in funding for local authorities and up to £400m low-interest loans each year for communities… to bring Britain in line with the established practice in European countries which have high levels of distributed power”.
In October last year the government announced significant support for dam and hydro schemes - primarily focused on the Scottish Highlands.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said at the time of announcement: “We need to increase our ability to store energy for when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing.
“With these projects storing the surplus clean, homegrown energy produced from renewable sources, we can boost our energy security by relying less on fossil fuels, protect household bills, and help make Britain a clean energy superpower.”
But last month, Emma Bridge, chief executive of Community Energy England, responded to media reports that the Treasury was considering cuts to GB Energy, warning they would be “short-sighted and counterproductive”.
She said community energy organisations could deliver hundreds of clean energy projects to reduce the country’s reliance on imported energy, cut bills, tackle fuel poverty and boost growth.
She added: “The Treasury should look again at what the country stands to gain by investing in local communities and clean power – they are crucial for delivering economic growth and energy independence.”
About the author: Kevin Gopal is a Manchester-based journalist who has returned to freelancing after editing Big Issue North from 2007 until its closure in 2023. Prior to that he was assistant editor of Chinese community magazine SiYu, international editor of Pharmaceutical Executive, and deputy editor of North West Business Insider before freelancing widely on business, politics and policy for a number of titles. He is a leader in residence in journalism at the University of Central Lancashire.
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