VerdErg Renewable Energy

The 26kW VETT scheme, installed in 2018 at Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, exploits 1.4m gross head between a marina and mill pond. The VETT is submerged within a disused underground culvert. This followed key design criteria to integrate into existing infrastructure of a protected former mill, preserving the surroundings of the site on the river Great Ouse which is situated between two nature reserves. The river Great Ouse is a navigable stretch of river prone to flooding. VerdErg therefore coordinated the VETT scheme with the management of water levels by a sluice. Careful eel passage design newly opened this stretch of water to migrating eels. Installation and operation was designed to protect juvenile coarse fish nursery areas in the marina and mill pond and to accommodate eel passage. 3,500 litres of water passes through the VETT installation per second, on average. The turbine is 440 mm in diameter and emits zero noise with all infrastructure submerged underwater