Micro Hydro Association

28 June 2013

Rural communities across England that aspire to generate their own clean green power are being offered a helping hand today with the launch of a £15 million Government fund.

The Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), which opens to applications today, is specifically targeted at helping rural communities access the money needed to carry out feasibility studies into renewable energy projects, and fund the costs associated with applying for planning permission. It is intended that projects will then be able to attract private finance to pay for renewable energy kit and get projects up and running. Funding can be used to support rural projects across the renewable and low carbon energy spectrum including wind, solar, biomass, heat pumps, anaerobic digestion, gas Combined Heat and Power and hydro.

Find out more

Please take note that generators now need to keep records as described in the “Open Letter - Feed-in Tariff (FIT): Guidance for Renewable Installations - Change to Statement of FIT Terms”.

The Statement of FIT Terms will be amended by the FIT Licensee by 1 October 2013. This amendment will include terms to enable the smooth transition from one FIT Licensee to another in the event of a FIT Licensee failure. The terms will require all FIT Generators to:
maintain records of their generation and (where applicable) export meter readings,
maintain records of all FIT Payments received,
Maintain the above records for a period of one year, commencing with the date on which a meter reading is taken by or supplied to a FIT Licensee, or the date on which a FIT payment is received by a FIT Generator.

Please note this condition affects both existing and new FIT Generators.

I am delighted to say that my invitation for someone to take over as administrator of the mha has been taken up by Kate Gilmartin.

Kate has excellent credentials having herself set up a forum for communities with potential hydropower schemes to share information and experiences and act as a mutual support group.  Kate also acts as an independent advisor on CO2 reduction and is an Associate of CO2Sense.

The mha administrator's email address will remain unchanged and for the time being the website will be kept in the same format as now.  Following a handover period, during which I will remain involved, Kate will be writing to outline any proposed developments in the structure and constitution of the mha and in its links with others who have similar aims.

Building up the mha's membership and its activities over the last 3+ years has been a rewarding experience and I would like to thank the many people who have responded to surveys and supported our attempts to improve the opportunities for micro hydro schemes to be developed.

Please contact Kate via administrator@microhydroassociation.org if you have ideas you would like to see considered or points you wish to raise concerning the way forward for the mha.


Gavin King-Smith