News Update September 2016:
Donside Hydro have crossed several critical milestones in the past few weeks and are on the cusp of several more. Together these will see completion of the Donside Hydro, Scotland’s first urban community hydro. If you’ve yet to visit their website and view their Welcome to the Donside Hydro video, we encourage you to do so. You can find out more about the project and see the start of the construction time-lapse filming.
Construction progress: Construction started in early June and the Highland Eco-Design team have been working incredibly hard to deliver this scheme to schedule. The lade is almost finished and the turbine and powerhouse structures are complete.The Archimedes screw turbine, gearbox, generator, control systems, sluice gates and other kit were installed on Monday 5th September. This was an incredibly complex, yet beautifully orchestrated affair involving five teams from three nations, including MannPower and Landustrie.
The final elements of construction are taking place and commissioning of the scheme is expected within the next two weeks. Further landscaping and cosmetic features will follow after with the assistance of grant funding from Aberdeen Greenspace Trust and other sources.
Share Offer success: The community launched their £500,000 Share fundraising bid on 9th August, offering a targeted 7% annualised return for investors. It lasted three weeks, taking in approx. £20,000 a day. Such was the case that it closed ten days early.
Bond Offer launch: They have just kicked off the next phase of their £1,250,000 fundraising campaign with the launch of £600,000 Community Bond Offer. This offers investors a lower-risk, short-term investment at 4% Fixed-Rate. As with the Share Offer, applications for Bonds are on a first come first served basis. If the success of the Share Offer is anything to go by, we encourage to you to apply early to avoid missing out.
The full Bond Offer document detailing the project, investment offer and how to apply are also available to view and download from http://acenergy.org.uk/how-to-invest/
News Update August 2016:
Construction is well under way on Donside Hydro with the Archimedies Screw and Sluice gate being fitted recently. ACE (Aberdeen Community Energy) ACE have officially launched their share offer with more details on this exciting investment opportunity here: http://acenergy.org.uk/why-invest/
ACE are a Community Benefit Society, established to build and operate Aberdeen’s first community-led renewable energy project – the Donside Hydro.
The Donside Hydro will harness energy from its neighbouring river – The Don – to create electricity which will be sold to the national grid.
Income generated from the project will be channelled into initiatives that will achieve social and environmental benefits for the local regeneration area. Plans for these initiatives are already underway, with immediate focus on the improvement of the local riverside. For more information, please visit: http://acenergy.org.uk/
News January 2016:
The Hydro scheme is located in Donside Village in Tillydrone, on the banks of the River Don. The Village is a relatively new, sustainable community based on the site of an old papermill. The hydro scheme will use the existing mill lade with the addition of a 100kW Archimedes screw. Donside Community Hydro plan to raise the money to build the scheme via a community share offer – We will update when we have more information
Electricity Output
The scheme will generate enough electricity to power the average needs of 122 UK households.
System Elements
Available head 1.75m
Max. flow rate 10,000 l/s
Screw bladed length 5.61m
100kW Archimedes Screw
Screw weight 20 tonnes
Status
Construction
