• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Tuesday May 30 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Good Energy ‘Power Partners’ The Wave with Welsh hydro project

Renewable energy provider Good Energy has launched a new initiative which ‘twins’ some of its business customers with a specific generator so they can better understand how their power consumption is fully matched by renewables.

Power Partners links customers with one of the company’s more than 1,700 independent generators across the UK, such as solar farms, wind turbines and hydroelectric schemes.

The first Power Partner in the series is inland surfing lake The Wave at Easter Compton near Bristol, which has been twinned with a hydro project, Cwm Cadian Hydro in Wales.

The electricity used by The Wave will be matched via Chippenham-based Good Energy with the power output of the Welsh hydro project.

Tom Parsons, head of sales and origination at Good Energy, said: “We’re proud to be supported by customers who want to play their part in tackling the climate crisis by sourcing their power from nature.

“This new initiative allows us to take it a step further by matching some of our business customers with a specific generator, building a closer relationship and raising awareness of where their electricity comes from.

“The grid is interconnected so clearly there isn’t a direct physical link between the partners, but it’s a much more engaging way of demonstrating our commitment to renewables.

The Wave is a ‘slice of the ocean’ which brings the positive power of water and waves inland, to be enjoyed by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

The lake rolls around a thousand waves per hour, ranging from 50cms to almost two metres in height, and the site attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year.

Chief executive and founder Nick Hounsfield said: “From the word go we made a commitment to only ever use renewable energy to power our waves.

“It would have been wrong to use electricity from fossil fuels and thereby contribute to climate change and the acidification of the ocean.

“It is brilliant to be working with Good Energy and their power partners like Cwm Cadian Hydro to deliver on this promise.”

Cwm Cadian Hydro, on the southern edge of Snowdonia National Park, generates 300MWh of clean electricity each year from the Nant Cwm Cadian stream.

Hydro engineer Billy Langley said: “It’s great to link up with The Wave and prove the power of hydroelectricity – it’s the perfect partnership.

“The electricity we generate here is saving electricity having to be generated in a gas or coal-fired power station, helping to protect the planet.”

Picture: @ImageCabin_Drone