by tresoc | Sep 10, 2016 | Events, Latest TRESOC News
TRESOC is hosting The First Ever Archimedes Screw Festival at Totnes Weir on the River Dart on Saturday, 15 October, 2016, 11am – 4pm.
Science: Join Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) river scientists to look at the salmon’s “eco home”. Simple testing kits will enable you to take measurements and look at ecological status of the Dart. Join hundreds of other Citizen Scientists in the region – sign up with WRT to become a River Dart steward.
Art: Celebrate the Dart – make a silver salmon and add it to a giant community shoal.
Energy: Hydro scheme tours at 12 noon and 3pm with Tresoc’s Alastair Gets, Director of Engineering – see inside the working plant. Find out about Tresoc’s new hydro project at Staverton Leat.
Join in: Share your own ‘Tales of the Riverbank’. Help us design a permanent sign to explain more about the scheme – what do you want to know? Participate in a clean-up along the river. Totnes Rubbish Walks volunteers will start at Totnes Bridge at 11am, arriving at the weir by noon, continuing along the river, finishing by 1pm.
If you work up an appetite: Taste Archimedes’ favourite Sicilian snack, veg-filled arancini – on sale from 12:30pm, while supplies last, fresh from local food geniuses, The Kitchen Table.
The festival is part of Transition Town Totnes’ Open Eco Homes weekend. From the traditional to the unconventional, the tour highlights inspiring homes at different stages on the journey to reducing their energy bills and environmental impact.
by tresoc | Jul 4, 2016 | Latest TRESOC News
Following the publishing of this post, a Tresoc Member and resident of Staverton was appointed to the Staverton Hydro BenCom.
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The newly formed Staverton Hydro Community Benefit Society is seeking a Director from Staverton to join its small team. Details of role and responsibilities to follow. For initial enquiries contact admin@tresoc.co.uk
by tresoc | Mar 18, 2016 | Latest Share Offer
Tresoc Members invested just over £300,000 in the iconic 300 kW Totnes Weir hydro power plant. Because the target was reached through local investment, there was no need to open up the share offer to a wider audience—local investment works! Triodos have sent out share certificates. If you missed out on this opportunity, don’t fret, more good things are on the way. We have a working partnership with the Hydrosense consortium, developers of the Totnes weir site, and we are moving forward with a new, local hydro project and more on-roof solar. Get in touch if you’d be interested in investing.
View the Dart Renewables information sheet on the scheme.
by tresoc | Jun 18, 2015 | Membership
Fantastic news! Dart Renewables Bond Issue raised £1.3m and has now closed.
The Dart Renewables 2015 bond issue to raise capital to finance completion of this iconic Totnes hydro scheme closed ahead of schedule as the target total of £1.3m was reached with 9 days to go. About a fifth of the funds raised came from local investment. Congratulations to Dart Renewables, who have worked diligently on the project for many years.
by tresoc | Mar 27, 2014 | Latest Blog Post
We’re kicking off the discussion with great news about our 1 MW for Totnes & District Share Issue. Those of you who came to the AGM in December will know that following refusal of the Totnes Community Wind Farm planning application last year (see previous blog entry) we’ve been extra busy with other projects. All this hard work is now paying off in the form of new consented solar pv and hydro power projects. Specifically, we have reached agreement with South Devon Rural Housing Association to install solar panels on all of their suitable properties. The Survey work is nearly complete and over 100 households will soon enjoy a source of free electricity, helping out some of those most at risk of fuel poverty and supporting growth in the local economy through our project partnership with BECO Solar. TRESOC will benefit from the Feed in Tariff income, enabling payment of dividends to our members.
We’ve also secured agreement with Dart Renewables for a £500,000 community investment in the hydro project at Totnes Weir, and more at other hydro power sites on the Rivers Teign and Dart. With extra solar schemes in the pipeline this adds up to a TRESOC investment package in consented local renewable energy projects with a combined value of more than £1.5 million.
With the Government’s Community Energy Strategy and other measures supporting growth in community renewables this is a huge opportunity for local people to earn a healthy income from large and small investments in local renewable energy installations. It will also provide TRESOC with working capital to develop more projects in solar, hydro and various forms of biomass – and who knows – maybe another wind project one day!
We’re finishing off the detailed legal agreements necessary to realise these fantastic opportunities in our Share Issue, scheduled for April. Meanwhile, we’ll keep you informed of progress and look forward to hearing more from our members.
Many thanks and best wishes to all TRESOC members and supporters,
Ian Bright, Managing Director
