We are pleased to say that after going through an exhaustive application process the licence for the site was granted at the end of April.  Two of the conditions of the licence are the requirements for us to provide a fish pass and an eel pass to assist migratory species to pass over the weir. There is currently no passage for migratory species at Jordan Dam, but the Environment Agency is working towards meeting a European Directive on fish passage and schemes such as ours will help them meet the deadline of 2027. This part of the scheme may also allow us to apply for grant funding to construct the required passes.

Although it has been a long process we are very excited by the granting of the licence and the progress it represents.  Our thanks go to Rob Pilling and the Hydro Team in representing our case so well.

Obtaining this licence gives us further certainty on the scheme before the launch of our Community Share Offer later in the year.

The fun part is that the river flow, the sluice gate, and the power drawn from the generator can all be changed using a standard infrared remote control. This means that you can find out about the effects of drought or flood, and try out setting the sluice gate to the right height to get the most power out without letting the river flow get too low. If there is a computer available, it can be connected to the model, and all of these settings displayed and recorded.

You can see a very brief video at https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByJbt0g-wxqqdHNpZWh3TU10aVk

Steve's model

We will be bringing it along to some of the summer festivals.

Sheffield Renewables is passionate about environmental issues and committed to the delivery of sensitive local schemes that will deliver real benefits to Sheffield.  We have assessed, and will continue to assess, the impact of our schemes on the local ecology.

See here for a document that provides answers on the most frequently asked questions about the impact on ecology.

This energy and commitment has again been demonstrated thanks to 24 Pioneer Investors whose contributions have made nearly £16,000 available to Sheffield Renewables. These funds will help keep the organisation running as it pushes forward the development and ultimately the build of Jordan Dam Hydro – to be Sheffield Renewables’ first community owned and operated renewable energy scheme, benefitting both the city and its people.

The whole of Sheffield Renewables is currently working hard to secure funding to cover the costs for the build of Jordan Dam Hydro. However, to commit to the build the organisation needs funds to cover up-front project costs and to run Sheffield Renewables as the project is delivered.

Pioneer Investors are exposed to a degree of risk as they are funding activities that are to be carried out before a final decision to go ahead with the Jordan Dam Hydro project. This alone shows the commitment, energy and belief from the people behind the organisation, showing Sheffield is a forward thinking place where people are willing to adopt a pioneering attitude towards becoming environmentally sustainable.

This energy and commitment has again been demonstrated thanks to 24 Pioneer Investors whose contributions have made nearly £16,000 available to Sheffield Renewables. These funds will help keep the organisation running as it pushes forward the development and ultimately the build of the Jordan Hydro Dam - to be Sheffield Renewables’ first owned and operated renewable energy scheme benefitting both the city and its people.

The whole of Sheffield Renewables is currently working hard to secure funding to cover the costs for the build of Jordan Dam Hydro. However, to commit to the build the organisation needs funds to cover up-front project costs and to run Sheffield Renewables as the project is delivered. The Pioneer Investors benefit the organisation by allowing the existing Early Bird Investors to release some or all of their investment to help cover costs such as:

1. Project development work, including review of legal agreements and advice on procurement

2. Core operating costs over the next year, including office, staff costs and if sufficient grant funding is secured, Sheffield Renewables plan to appoint a Chief Executive.

Pioneer Investors are exposed to a much higher degree of risk as they are funding activities that are to be carried out before a final decision to go ahead with the Jordan Dam Hydro project. This alone shows the commitment, energy and belief from the people behind the organisation, showing Sheffield is a forward thinking place where people are willing to adopt a pioneering attitude towards becoming environmentally sustainable

The LEAF programme is clearly intended to benefit the community sector in its efforts to grasp existing and upcoming opportunities provided by the Green Deal, Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-In Tariff, all of which encourage organisations to use their own initiative to develop sustainable energy schemes that mitigate against climate change.

Ed Davey, Secretary of State for DECC said of the scheme:  “These grants are designed to nurture the ideas and enthusiasm of communities up and down the country who want to cut energy use, cut emissions and save money.”

Despite the LEAF funding receiving a phenomenal amount of interest from groups across the country, Sheffield Renewables managed to secure £7,000 that will help support:

• The development of the Sheffield Renewables Business Plan
• The completion of the Jordan Dam Business Case
• Preparation of the Sheffield Renewables Share Offer
• Funding towards Project Manager costs to help move forward Jordan Dam Hydro.

You can keep up to date on these developments via the Sheffield Renewables website or by signing up as a supporter to receive the Sheffield Renewables Newsletter.

If your community wants to be part of The Co-operative Clean Energy Revolution and needs a bit of free advice and support, you need look no further than The Co-operative Enterprise Hub. Please visit our website to apply for help.

More work will be done on the Archimedes screw, the small wind turbine and the bike generator at our next session on Sunday, March11th.

Some of our new volunteer members with their share certificates

We had a very successful AGM on January 31st, with 30 of our 65 members in attendance.

Rob Pilling gave a very comprehensive Chair’s Report and thanked all the volunteers and our employees who had worked so hard to achieve so much this year.

The annual accounts were presented and accepted, and two new rule changes were agreed.

Two directors, Rob Pilling and Richard Collins, were re-elected and a new non-executive director, Steve Barnard, was also elected.

Nine new core volunteer members were welcomed and share certificates given out to those present (see photo).

We hope you enjoy reading it and post any public comments in the space provided below.