Osney Lock Hydro is predicted to generate more than 179,000kWh of clean electricity each year. That’s enough to power more than 60 typical homes.

Hydro generation is dependent on rainfall. It can vary between 50% and 150% of the 179,000kWh average each year. An additional 6,665kWh of green electricity should be generated annually thanks to the solar panels on the roof of the power house.

There were some carbon dioxide emissions from the construction of the scheme. But once operational this type of hydro has one of the lowest carbon footprints of all electricity-generation technologies, emitting very little or no carbon dioxide.

Hydro generation to date

Time period – by financial year (1 April to 31 March)	Electricity generation
First 12 months of operation (to 18 May 2016)	143,365 kWh
2015/16……………………………………………………………………….	98,318  kWh
2016/17……………………………………………………………………….	225,137 kWh
2017/18……………………………………………………………………….	124,891 kWh
2018/19……………………………………………………………………….	194,330 kWh
2019/20……………………………………………………………………….	125,761 kWh
2020/21……………………………………………………………………….	170,882 kWh
2021/22……………………………………………………………………….	244,000 kWh
2022/23……………………………………………………………………….	104,901 kWh
2023/24………………………………………………………………………. 2024/25……………………………………………………………………….	124,578 kWh 67,279 kWh
Lifetime generation target	2,480,077 kWh

Generating income

Electricity generated by the hydro is sold to the Environment Agency to power its local depot. Any surplus is exported into the National Grid. For the first 20 years of the scheme, additional income results from the feed-in tariff. Income is used to cover the project running costs and has alowed us to pay off a short term loan. It also enables us to make interest payments to investors, without whose support the project would not be possible.

Generating £2m for community initiatives

All our profits are put to use for the benefit of the community. We hope to generate over £2 million of community benefit from the hydro during its 40-year anticipated lifetime. By using this to fund projects that help reduce energy use, support biodiversity and contribute to a more sustainable future, the impact of the hydro scheme will reach far beyond that of providing green electricity.

Please note, all electricity and income-generation figures are predicted annual averages and assume the project has a 40-year lifespan.

Find us on the People’s Power Station

 We are likely to be operating if the river flow is over 5.5 m³/sec at the Farmoor gauging station.