Energy
Over the last few years the Trustees have constructed two hydroelectric schemes on the Estate.
One is situated on the Afon Maesgwm and the second on the Afon Croesor. They use water from the rivers to generate electricity via a turbine, then discharge the water back into the rivers. Limits on the water take have been agreed with Natural Resources Wales, to protect ecosystems of the rivers. The penstocks (inlets) are set so that the specified limits are never exceeded. Each scheme produces enough energy to power approximately 100 houses. It is the Trustees’ ambition to configure the schemes in the future so that the energy that they produce can be consumed locally thereby benefitting the local community. Our partners in delivering these projects have been:
GH Jones, Pwllheli
Keim Water, Ludlow
Renewables First, Stroud
At Plas Brondanw there is a biomass boiler, that provides a sustainable source of heat and hot water to Plas Brondanw, 1-3 Bwthyn, Penstep, Twll Wenci, The Lodge, Orangery and Caffi Plas Brondanw. The scheme uses approximately 100 tonnes of timber per annum, all of which is sourced from the Brondanw Estate and chipped on site by a local contractor who manages the boiler. The boiler is an ETA Hack 200KW wood fuelled boiler, and all of the tenants benefitting from the biomass report a considerable improvement in the standard and cost of living.