Jane Buekett

The financial year just ended (31 March 2026) proved a challenging one for hydro generation. The dry spring of 2025 meant we stopped generating on 26 April and the hydro did not come back on until 11 November. High river levels during the winter also led to periods of low or no generation in December…

Community Energy England has called on the government to speed up implementation of the increased support for community energy announced recently in the government’s Local Power Plan.  An open letter, signed by 250 community energy organisations was handed in at Parliament on 4 March. A light installation spelling UP THE ENERGY, worn by 11 people,…

Our solar assets performed well over the first six months of this financial year owing to the prolonged sunny weather. Overall, we generated 1,907 kWh more from our solar arrays at The King’s Centre, Aldi and Matthew Arnold School than we did in the same period in 2024. This was despite the Science Block re-roofing…

We’ve embarked on a journey at Osney Lock Hydro this year discovering some of the moths present at the site. Most moths fly at night, so we use a light trap to attract and capture them. The moths are unharmed by this and are released after recording. We checked for moths twice last year and…

At WOCoRe we’ve always believed that renewable energy is about more than just the power we generate. It’s about sharing what’s possible when a community takes energy into its own hands. During our 2024–25 financial year, we welcomed more than 400 visitors to Osney Lock Hydro through guided tours, open days and organised visits. From…

WOCoRe had the opportunity on 7 October to speak with the team working on the Oxfordshire Local Area Energy Plan (OxLAEP). LAEP is a process for translating national clean energy targets into actionable plans at the local level. Staff from the consultancy firm Arup, which is coordinating the work, and from six local authorities visited the…

Our plan to record moths at the hydro site over the summer ran into problems when the light sensor unit on the moth trap failed. That’s now been fixed and we set up the trap on the evening of 17 August. We recorded ten moths the following morning, from seven species. Some of these were…

The hydro will be open as part of Oxford Open Doors, Sunday 14 September, 14:00–17:00. Do drop in to see the hydro and fish pass, our mosaic ‘human sundial’ and our insect-friendly garden. It is unlikely we will be generating by that date, given the low river levels this summer. As part of your visit…

We’ve been spotting a variety of bee species at the hydro this spring. They are feeding on nectar from the flowering shrubs and trees and the plants in the flower border. Here are photos of some of them. Davies’ colletes This is a type of plasterer bee. Like the mining bees the females create a…

WOCoRe is partnering with a new flood action group in South Oxford to help them manage grant funding for an innovative project. South Oxford Flood Action Group (SOFLAG) has been awarded a grant of just under £20,000 to set up a local flood monitoring system. This includes a borehole and gauge boards on local streams and ditches. Local…

Barbara Hammond was on That’s TV this week talking about the anniversary of Osney Lock Hydro. She emphasised the importance of the site in raising awareness of the potential of community generation. You can see the short piece on Facebook and X.

Thanks to volunteer Alan Barlow, the bench and chairs in the hydro garden have been fully renovated so visitors can sit and watch the river. Alan has also made a bird box and a couple of bee nesting boxes which were installed on site today.