Renewable energy is derived from inexhaustible sources such as wind, the sun, sea, or quickly replaceable sources such as waste products and crops.
It's one of the long-term ways to help tackle climate change.
Renewable energy is derived from inexhaustible sources such as wind, the sun, sea, or quickly replaceable sources such as waste products and crops. It's one of the long-term ways to help tackle climate change.
Renewable energy technologies include solar photovoltaics (solar electric), solar water heating, ground source heat pumps, wind turbines, small-scale hydro-electric systems and biomass heating systems.
The Department for Trade and Industry manages a low carbon buildings programme which will run over three years. It is a grant scheme open to householders, public, not for profit and commercial organisations.
Stockport Council has recently carried out a renewable energy study to look at different renewable energy technologies and find out which technologies will work in the borough.
Hydro Electricity Feasibility Study
The aim of this project is to launch a major carbon reduction programme in Stockport as part of its developing Climate Change Strategy for the Borough. The main objective of this project is to instigate small scale hydro projects on the borough’s weir sites.
The EST’s ‘Grants for action’ was applied for by Stockport Council to enable the Council to carry out a necessary survey of weir sites, addressing key questions such as ownership, access and feasibility; just some of the main barriers preventing development previously.
Five of the sites considered by the study are deemed suitable for future hydro power development. These are Otterspool, Strawberry Hill, Brinnington, Stringer’s and Castle Hill Weirs. Were all sites to be eventually developed, a total annual saving of 598 tonnes CO2/yr has been estimated.
The other four Weirs considered under the study were mainly rejected due to the cost of construction making the weir’s development economically unviable at this time.
The report highlights some of the key issues surrounding the development of Stockport’s Weirs, and this includes matters of planning consent as many of the Weirs are in the Green Belt and/or are designated Sites of Biological Importance; access to the sites for construction vehicles; issues around the Environment Agencies requirement for fish passes adding considerable costs to development; and funding avenues e.g. whether developments should be taken forward by private developers or community ownership schemes.