One of Scotland’s first community-owned hydro renewable energy projects is now generating to the national grid – providing a sustainable income for the local community.
The Callander Community Hydro Ltd secured finance from Triodos Bank, Scottish Enterprise’s investment arm, the Scottish Investment Bank and Social Investment Scotland, to develop a hydro-electric plant generating renewable energy.
The scheme aims to generate around 1,300,000 kW hours of energy per year, enough to provide electricity for approximately 300 average homes. When operational it is expected to be able to deliver up to £2.85 million over a 20 year timeframe, which will support a range of community projects in Callander.
Steve Moore, senior relationship manager at Triodos Bank, which has granted the lion’s share of the project finance comments: “This is the latest of a number of pioneering community owned renewable energy projects financed by Triodos Bank, and we are particularly pleased that the Callander community is utilising the great potential of hydro power and paving the way for other community groups to follow suit.”
The scheme has been sympathetically constructed on Forestry Commission land to the North West of the picturesque village of Callander in Perthshire. The system diverts water from the river Teith down a hidden pipeline into a turbine to produce power before being returned to the stream downriver.
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy