Neen Sollars Community Hydropower Co-operative

NSCH Co-op will build a 12.5 kW hydroelectric installation at Tetstill Mill, Neen Sollars on the River Rea. It will produce green electricity to the local electrical grid, providing around 20% of the domestic power use in the village of Neen Sollars and locally meeting the national target of 20% renewables.

This project will be a beacon for the region as it will be one of the very few renewable energy installations in the West Midlands and the first one to be community owned in this way. The key benefits are the practical generation of green electricity, the opportunity for local involvement in owning and running a renewable generation system, the opportunity for awareness raising and education in the local area, and the opportunity for a local social enterprise company to gain a modest annual income.

This project has been entirely conceived and executed by local people and is working alongside wider attempts to improve the ecological status and sustainability of the Rea catchment.