Category: Uncategorized

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/

Take a look at the progress thermometer on the side bar and the graph below! Our share raise to finance a hydro scheme on the Thames at Reading is progressing really well. Go to the Shares page for details of the scheme and how to invest.

The target line is a linear forecast based on £700,000 divided by the days between start and finish. The actual applications are the total value of the cumulative applications received to that date, it doesn’t take into account total pledges in the pre-registration phase or the actual payments received so far.

The October Meet-up was exciting, with news about technical design updates and a timetable for construction beginning to take shape as well as plans for opening investment opportunities.

Planning has been granted for two parallel Archimedes screws at the site. Total output would have been 46kW but remarkably OFGEM have said that we can increase our generation capacity and we are looking for a local consumer to partner with as the grid cant cope with increased generation. The more the scheme can produce, the more local community sustainability projects will benefit.

Revenue will come from selling the electricity generated, either back to the grid or to private customers. Feed-in Tariff (FIT) has been agreed, allowing reliable income forecasts. We have also found local customers who are seeking green energy to power their businesses. Selling the power locally is a great way to move Reading towards their renewable energy targets.

Now the path is open to look at starting the installation of the scheme and we are hoping to commence construction in late  spring of 2020.

In order for work to  start, funds will need to be raised. Very soon investment opportunities will be announced. We are currently investigating ideas for advertising in and around Reading and communicating the chance directly to members the moment the opening date is set.

The meeting was a fun brainstorming session, plus the excellent work already done by the teams have given us plenty of new ideas for the campaign and its promotion. Keep your ear to the ground and watch this space.

What better place to catch up with the people of Reading Hydro than to parade and then picnic together in view of the hydro site?

The Reading Pride Parade is an annual opportunity for anyone in the area to show their support of equality and diversity. Reading Hydro will join this family-friendly event to celebrate diversity within and around us. We’ll have music and laughter, and you can even sing and dance along if you fancy it. It’s a great chance to get to know each other and learn more about the project.

11am Saturday 31 August 2019

Meeting outside Metro Bank at Broad Street Mall. Look out for our banner.

Ending by the Pride event at Kings Meadow riverside, below Caversham Lock

Reading Hydro will also have a stall at the Pride event, featuring our scale model and some water toys. Please do volunteer to support the stall for an hour or two, even if you don’t know a lot, as it really helps to have several people at a time.

Picnic

On arrival we’ll picnic near the river. Bring your own food, which you are welcome to share (vegan food is the most shareable). You can also buy lunch at the Pride Marketplace, and bring that to join us.

location: https://w3w.co/drips.wide.thing