This Action Learning Set will help you explore all you need to know to develop a hydro electric generation project

It may be a crossflow, a turbine or an archimedes screw but regardless of your technology you need to ensure that your enterprise has a watertight business case!

The action learning process will bring together practitioners to support one another to

• Share experiences and skills to help you tackle the challenges your project faces
• Gain new perspectives on your enterprise and approach
• Consider opportunities for collaboration with other like minded enterprises
• Help you decide what actions will move your project forward
• Prepare a good business plan to become investment ready

The action learning set is NOT intended to look at details of the technological aspects of a hydro scheme - you'll already be doing that yourself. NOR is it a teaching programme. HOWEVER - we can draw in the following expertise to help you:

• Governance structures - what models are suitable for community ownership
• Raising finance - in particular community shares and loans
• Selling electricity to the grid including ROCs LECs and Feed in Tariff etc
• Legal implications - overview of licenses, permissions etc

What's involved?

An introductory residential workshop (26/27th March) where we will:

• Meet all participants and build up a picture of the proposed schemes
• Share expectations and challenges
• Hear from a guest speaker - to provide an overview of developing hydro schemes and answer your tricky questions
• Consider what makes a good business plan and how to put it all together

The residential will be followed up by 6 online themed sessions every 3 weeks where you can meet your fellow participants to consider progress as you build your business case and also have access to professional input on specialist topics. The programme will be supported with referrals to other sources of specialist advice and support.

Eligibility and Price

Places are strictly limited to 6 and are free and all accomodation is covered for social and community enterprises in the South West and bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel. We are sorry but Third Sector Support agencies and local authorities are NOT eligible for this action learning set.