ProGen - Case Studies

Run of River Hydro Power in Devon

Glen Lyn Gorge is located in the centre of Lynmouth village where two rivers, the East and West Lyn, converge. Hydro electricity was being generated in the East Lyn Valley as far back as 1898 but it was in 1983 when the Oxenham family undertook the project that now generates a maximum of 320kW of renewable electricity. The gorge is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) which is a testament to the sustainability of hydro power.

‘I have been selling my power to Good Energy for over 5 years. When we have needed to renegotiate our contract, Good Energy have kept in regular contact to find out what works for both of us, and have even come to visit. They keep the prices they pay competitive and most importantly of all it is their ethos of supplying only 100% renewable electricity that also encourages me to continue working with them.’ Matthew Oxenham

Diversifying with Wind Power in Scotland

2008 may have brought us another wet summer but there’s not a lot that can dampen John Sleigh’s spirits.

“My family has owned and worked St John’s Wells Farm for over 100 years and endured the ups and downs of farming. Like all businesses, it’s crucial that we adapt and diversify. For us, wind energy offered a great solution.”

So John began exploring the possibility of putting wind turbines on the farm. He calculated what the project would cost, what wind speed he could expect and how much electricity he could generate. The numbers looked good, so John applied for planning. The family was delighted when the project was approved in March 2007.

To raise funds for the wind farm, John’s bank asked him to secure a contract for the sale of the electricity - That’s when he contacted Good Energy,John was happy with the competitive price we offered him and the bank was happy with the security our ten year contract offers.

Today there are three wind turbines where John is standing, generating electricity to supply some of Good Energy’s 25,000 customers and provide St John’s Wells Farm with a great income.

Community Wind Power in Oxfordshire

Under crisp blue skies in January 2008, cranes hoisted the five wind turbines at Westmill Wind Farm into place. Westmill is the first 100% community owned wind farm in the South of England. It produces enough electricity to supply over 4,200 homes and avoid the release of 5,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The five turbines, 81m to tip, stand in a straight line across the old airfield, near Watchfield, South Oxfordshire. Funding of the £7.6m project was raised from a public share issue and with finance from the Co-op bank, allowing local ownership of the site and maximising the social, environmental and economic benefits to the area.  Good Energy is buying the power from three of the Westmill turbines for the next five years. This will provide enough electricity to supply over 2,700 Good Energy customers.