Mary Tavy Hydro Electric Power Station © Copyright Adrian Platt and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Lib Dem Euro-MP for South West England and chairman of the global cross-party parliamentary network called the Climate Parliament Sir Graham Watson this week co-hosted a breakfast event in the European Parliament with the European Small Hydropower Association about energy storage and renewables.
The South West, in the main due to its abundance of water has great hydro resources. After the event, Sir Graham told the PRSD: “We have the Mary Tavy hydro power station – the UK’s first – as well as Morwellham, the Roadford reservoir and the Meldon and Avon dams. All of them contribute to the UK’s sustainable energy future.”
The South West has many traditional working water mills that, if retrofitted, could make their own contribution to power generation.
Graham continued: “The generation of electricity from rivers and streams – called micro-hydro – is something we should be making more use of. The best thing is that the infrastructure is already there – mills that were built to last hundreds of years ago can be put back to work to generate green electricity.
“The West Dorset Hydropower Group has been doing great work in making these old mills economically viable again, while saving the environment and preserving our heritage.”
Mary Tavy Hydro Electric Power Station © Copyright Adrian Platt and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
