National Trust starts energy generation with Snowdonia hydroelectric

A hydroelectric turbine owned by the National Trust was switched on on Wednesday (April 23rd). The turbine, located in Snowdonia, Wales, is part of the National Trust's first large scale green energy project that will see it generate power through a range of different renewable technologies.

The turbine has been installed on Hafod y Llan farm, which is owned by the trust. It is located on the south flanks of Snowdon and will help to generate renewable energy that will be sold to the company Good Energy via the National Grid. As the National Trust is a charity, it is unable to sell excess energy itself, however, it has set up a trading company that will sell the power. The company will use the money it earns to invest in conservation work across trust lands.

Patrick Begg, rural enterprises director for the National Trust, said the country is lucky to have a great amount of natural resources that can be used to create green energy and to benefit everyone. This hydroelectric turbine is the first stage of a project that will help to generate enough electricity to power around 445 homes.

The project is also helping conservation work that will see habitats throughout the UK protected. More sustainable energy solutions are to be installed that work with natural habitats and historic heritage, continued Mr Begg. 

This project has taken over 100 people to complete and has involved the installation of around a mile of pipe, according to Keith Jones, National Trust environmental advisor for Wales. It also involved dealing with the harsh weather conditions that often affect that part of Snowdonia and the large amount of hikers that go through the area each year.

As part of the National Trust's plan, it is looking for further locations to install renewable technology for energy generation. Currently it has developed over 250 small and medium-scale projects throughout England and Wales and is looking for more suitable areas for hydroelectric, biomass and solar options.