Hydro Electric
Turn Your Stream or River
Into a Power Station
Small-scale hydro generates electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — regardless of weather or season. Crossflow turbines from 5kW to 100kW for farms and rural estates across Lancashire and the North of England.
Crossflow turbine technology
The most reliable form of renewable energy
Unlike solar and wind, hydro generates electricity continuously — 24 hours a day, every day of the year. If you have a stream, river or drainage channel with sufficient flow and head height, a crossflow turbine can provide a baseload of clean electricity that dramatically reduces your dependence on the grid.
Crossflow turbines are the technology of choice for small-scale hydro in the 5–100kW range. Their self-cleaning design handles variable flow rates and debris-laden upland water with minimal maintenance. With a design lifespan of 40+ years and very few moving parts, a crossflow turbine is one of the most cost-effective long-term energy investments available to rural landowners.
We manage the entire process from initial hydrology survey and feasibility assessment through planning consent, Environment Agency abstraction licence, civil works, turbine installation and grid connection — including registration for Smart Export Guarantee eligibility.
Request a hydrology assessment5–100kW
Output range
24/7
Continuous generation
40+ yrs
Turbine lifespan
100%
Renewable generation
Our hydro service
Everything from survey to switch-on
Crossflow turbine technology
Self-cleaning crossflow turbines handle variable flow rates and debris-laden water with minimal maintenance — ideal for upland streams and farm watercourses.
Site assessment & hydrology survey
We assess your watercourse flow rates, head height and seasonal variation to accurately size your turbine and predict annual generation output.
Planning & abstraction licence
We manage the full planning application and Environment Agency abstraction licence process, ensuring your scheme is fully consented before installation begins.
Integration with solar & battery
Hydro generation complements solar PV perfectly — hydro peaks in winter when solar is weakest. Combined with battery storage, you can achieve near-total self-sufficiency.
Smart Export Guarantee eligible
Qualifying hydro installations earn Smart Export Guarantee payments on every unit exported to the grid — a reliable, year-round revenue stream.
Our process
From watercourse to working turbine — how hydro installation works
Small-scale hydro is one of the most complex renewable energy technologies to install, involving civil engineering, mechanical and electrical works, and multiple regulatory consents. We manage the entire process from initial feasibility through to commissioning and grid connection.
01
Hydrological survey
We measure the flow rate and head of your watercourse across multiple seasons to establish the reliable generating capacity. We also assess the civil engineering requirements — intake structure, penstock route, powerhouse location and tailrace — and provide a preliminary feasibility report.
02
Consenting
We manage the full consenting process, including planning permission from your local authority, an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency, and any ecological mitigation required. We commission ecological surveys, prepare planning documents and liaise with all statutory consultees on your behalf.
03
Civil and mechanical works
Our civil engineering partners carry out the intake structure, penstock installation and powerhouse construction. We then install the crossflow turbine, generator and associated mechanical equipment, and connect the electrical systems including the grid-tied inverter and metering.
04
Grid connection and commissioning
We apply for and manage the grid connection agreement with your DNO, carry out all G99 testing and documentation, and commission the full system. You receive a complete set of as-built drawings, commissioning certificates and Smart Export Guarantee registration documentation.
Why crossflow hydro
Why crossflow turbines are ideal for UK farm and rural sites
The crossflow turbine — also known as a Banki-Michell or Ossberger turbine — is the most widely used turbine type for small-scale hydro schemes in the UK. Unlike Pelton and Turgo turbines, which require high head, or Kaplan turbines, which require very high flow, the crossflow turbine is well suited to the low-head, moderate-flow conditions typical of streams and rivers on Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbrian farms.
Crossflow turbines are mechanically simple, robust and easy to maintain. They have no submerged bearings, which eliminates the risk of oil contamination of the watercourse. They can operate efficiently across a wide range of flow conditions — from 20 percent to 100 percent of design flow — which means they continue generating usefully even during dry periods when flow is reduced.
A well-maintained crossflow turbine has a design life of 40 to 50 years, with major overhauls typically required every 15 to 20 years. This long operational life, combined with the continuous generation profile of hydro, gives small-scale hydro schemes among the best long-term economics of any renewable technology available to rural landowners.
The economics
The financial case for small-scale hydro
The economics of small-scale hydro are driven by two revenue streams: self-consumption savings and Smart Export Guarantee payments. A 20kW scheme generating 140,000kWh per year at a typical capacity factor of 80 percent produces electricity worth around £35,000 per year at current commercial electricity prices — or around £20,000 per year in residential self-consumption savings, depending on the site and tariff.
Installation costs for a 20kW crossflow hydro scheme typically range from £120,000 to £200,000 depending on the civil engineering complexity, grid connection distance and site access. At current electricity prices, payback periods of 8 to 12 years are achievable for well-sited schemes, with a net present value over the 40-year asset life that can exceed £500,000.
Unlike solar and wind, hydro generation is not intermittent — it generates continuously, day and night, winter and summer. This makes it particularly valuable for farms and rural estates with high baseload electricity demand, such as poultry units, dairy farms, grain driers and cold stores. Contact us for a free initial assessment of your watercourse potential.
Common questions
Small-scale hydro — your questions answered
What flow rate and head do I need for a viable hydro scheme?
A viable small-scale hydro scheme typically requires a minimum flow rate of around 20 litres per second and a head (vertical drop) of at least 2 metres, though the ideal combination depends on the turbine type. A crossflow turbine, which we specialise in, is well suited to low-head, high-flow sites common on Lancashire and North of England farms. We carry out a free initial assessment to measure your watercourse and advise on viability.
What output can I expect from a small-scale hydro installation?
Our crossflow turbine installations range from 5kW to 100kW depending on the available head and flow. A 20kW system running at 80% capacity factor — typical for a reliable watercourse — generates around 140,000kWh per year. That is enough to power 40 average UK homes, or to supply a significant proportion of a farm or rural estate energy demand year-round, including overnight when solar panels produce nothing.
Is small-scale hydro eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee?
Yes. Hydro installations up to 5MW are eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which requires licensed electricity suppliers to pay you for every unit of electricity you export to the grid. The rate varies by supplier and tariff, but SEG payments combined with self-consumption savings typically give hydro schemes a payback period of 8 to 15 years, with a system lifespan of 40 to 50 years.
Do I need planning permission for a hydro installation?
Most small-scale hydro installations require planning permission from your local authority, as well as an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency and, in some cases, a fish pass or environmental mitigation. We manage the full consenting process on your behalf, including ecological surveys, planning applications and Environment Agency liaison, so you do not need to navigate the regulatory framework yourself.
How does hydro generation compare to solar and wind?
Hydro has a significant advantage over solar and wind: it generates continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of weather or season. A well-sited hydro scheme typically achieves a capacity factor of 60 to 80%, compared to around 10 to 12% for solar in the UK. This makes hydro an exceptionally reliable baseload generation source and an ideal complement to solar and battery storage in a farm micro grid.
Can a hydro scheme be integrated with solar panels and battery storage?
Yes — hydro integrates very well with solar and battery storage as part of a complete farm micro grid. Hydro provides reliable overnight and winter generation when solar output is low, while solar covers peak summer daytime demand. Battery storage smooths out short-term fluctuations and allows you to time your exports for maximum SEG revenue. We design all three technologies to work together as a single optimised system.
Free feasibility assessment
Have a watercourse on your land?
Get in touch to discuss your site. We'll carry out a free initial assessment of your watercourse's hydro potential and advise on the best route to installation.