A new fish pass will be made as part of the hydro power scheme. It is a natural design and allows both fish and eels to move upstream and will improve the river environment.

The fish pass will cut into View Island from the mill stream, to the east, where there will be a sluice. From there the ‘technical section’ will run gently downhill to join the existing streambed, and water will flow along this towards the hydro scheme. It will join the river immediately adjacent to the turbines and create an attraction flow for fish. It will be as it is today, a natural and unbounded area forming part of View Island.

If you have any other questions on the environmental impact of this hydro power scheme, please email us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com. To apply for shares go, to our share page

We are at Reading Farmers Market this morning – The Cattle Market, Gt Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD. Come along to find out more about Reading Hydro.

To apply for shares, go to https://hydro.readinguk.org/shares/ or email us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com if you have any questions.

We have just reached over the 50% mark with our funding, and we still have 4 weeks to go. So keep talking to people, telling them about this great project and we will get there. https://hydro.readinguk.org/shares/

Each share costs £1. The minimum investment is £75. The maximum that you can invest is 10% of the total raise, so £70,000. The offer is open now and closes on the 14th February or before if fully subscribed before that date. You can find more detail in our share document or please email us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com

If you decide to invest in Reading Hydro you are investing in a sustainable future. Once the scheme is built and operating profitably, we are aiming for a long-term interest rate payment of 4%, or to match the inflation rate if this is higher. By investing, you become a member with one vote. The Directors will recommend to the Members what return and capital to pay to investors (subject to the maximum rates above) and how much is available as a benefit to the community. The Society is expecting to repay 75% of the capital raised over the first 20 years of the project, with the remainder over the life of the project. “If you invested £1,000, our financial model would expect to pay about £330 in interest over the next 10 years, and to repay you £300. The remaining £700 will still earn interest and be repaid gradually, but may be repaid earlier if you need it .” Please be aware, however, that your investment in Reading Hydro is not without risk, and there is a possibility that you might lose some or all of it. Do contact us if you have questions and do discuss your investment with someone you trust. You can find more detail in our share document or please email us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com

Our plan is to install Archimedes Screw turbines beside Caversham Weir. The turbines should generate about 320MWh of renewable electricity each year, from the flow of the water. This is enough to supply about 90 average homes – this is 0.2% of Reading’s homes – but every little counts! With proper maintenance, we expect the turbines installed at Caversham Weir to generate renewable electricity for 40 years or more. Once built our electricity will be zero carbon, replacing fossil fuel generation on the grid. This electricity will also provide an income for community projects in the local area, as all our profits will benefit the local community. If you would like to know more about the technology we are using, then please email us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com

Shares are selling well, so far we have raised over £262,000 of our £700,000 target. We’ve got several weeks to go, so please spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues. If you know anyone who may be interested in supporting Reading Hydro and wants to invest in renewable energy generation, please share this link: https://hydro.readinguk.org/