National Trust opens Snowdonia hydro farm
UK charity hydro turbine at Haford y Llan farm in Wales to power 445 homes as part of £3.5 million deal with Good Energy as part of its fossil fuels reduction targets
The National Trust has installed its first large-scale renewable energy project and funds raised through selling electricity will be channelled into conservation projects.
The UK charity has installed the new hydro turbine at a Haford y Llan farm in Snowdonia (pictured right), Wales and the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 445 homes.
The surplus power will be sold via the grid to renewable energy supplier Good Energy.
Earlier this month the National Trust unveiled a £3.5 million deal with Good Energy and the partnership will enable the conservation group to produce around half of its power from renewable sources as part of its target of reducing its use of fossil fuels in its energy mix by fifty per cent by 2020.
Patrick Begg, rural enterprise director at the National Trust, said: “We’re lucky to be blessed with an abundance of natural resources that we look after for the benefit of the nation. Now with this new trading company we can harness some of the power generated by nature to help fund our conservation work.”
There are currently over 250 renewable energy schemes within the National Trust that include biomass, solar and hydro technology projects.
Plans for future National Trust renewable energy initiatives are estimated to save around £4 million on energy bills each year in the UK.