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A hydroelectric social enterprise is one of three companies based, or running projects, within the Northwest of England that have won £100,000 or more of funding within the first round of the Northwest"s Carbon Challenge Fund (CCF), which supports the deployment of low carbon technologies into the Northwest region.

Water Power Enterprises (H2oPE) has been awarded £100,000 towards the costs of establishing a community-owned micro-hydro scheme in Stockport – the Otterspool Community Hydro. The Stockport site is expected to generate around 190 megawatts of electricity an hour annually, enough for 40 homes within the area, and save approximately 81.25 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) a year.

In all, the Carbon Challenge Fund (CCF), which Big Green Book reported on its launch, last year; is funded by the North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA), and has so far awarded £435,000 in its first round of funding.

The other two projects to be awarded and receive funding are a state-of-the-art energy efficient clean-room air-conditioning system at Oldham-based manufacturing plant, Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd, and an energy-reducing sewage process at a wastewater treatment plant owned by utility company United Utilities.

Diodes Zetex is being match funded £135,000 by the Carbon Challenge Fund (CCF) to design and manufacture and then install the energy efficient air-con; because it will not only eliminate the use of ozone depleting Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) but also save around 1,600 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions a year at the company"s manufacturing plant.

The North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA) indicates that the project will ensure that operational costs within the plant will be lowered, jobs safeguarded and European Commission (EC) legislation pre-empted. Once completed, North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA) also states that Diodes Zetex"s green air conditioning system will be a model of regional best practice for other industries that use clean-room air conditioning such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals and data storage.

Meanwhile, the region"s utility company United Utilities; received £200,000 to put towards its £950,000 energy-reducing sewage process at its wastewater treatment plant in Ellesmere Port.

The North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA) reckons that so far, the Carbon Challenge Fund (CCF) has saved approximately 17,350 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and safeguarded around 75 jobs within the region.

Chief executive of the North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA), Steven Broomhead says that: “England"s Northwest has long been a pioneer for innovation, forward thinking attitudes and the willingness to develop and progress. Projects selected for the Carbon Challenge Fund (CCF) represent a key part of the agency"s commitment to creating a low carbon economy in England"s Northwest – improving efficiency, reducing costs and safeguarding jobs.”