Queen Elizabeth joins the hydropower revolution

The royal family seems to be experiencing something of an eco-renaissance this year.

First came Will and Kate's low-carbon wedding, then Prince Charles was appointed president of WWF UK, and now the Queen is installing a hydropower scheme in her back garden.

The two 40-tonne Archimedes screws were installed earlier this week at Romney Weir on the River Thames, near Windsor Castle, and are expected to be switched on in November.

Admittedly, the Queen didn't drive in the cranes herself, but the royal household has backed the green energy project. 

The plant is being developed by SouthEast Power Engineering (SEPE), which took over in 2009 after RWE nPower renewables abandoned the plans due to high construction costs. It is expected to generate 1.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

Speaking to BusinessGreen, David Dechambeau, managing director of SEPE, said the scheme had received virtually no opposition from local residents or the castle.

While he has refused to comment directly on the Windsors' energy use, he confirmed he has consulted with the royal household.

"I've been to Buckingham Palace more times than President Obama," he said.

When the plant is commissioned, it is expected to power around 400 homes, and supply about a third of the castle's energy needs.

Dechambeau said he would invite the Queen to cut the ribbon on the project, but had yet to receive an RSVP.

"I would be delighted if they could come, but it's not confirmed," he said.

The £1.7m project is being funded entirely by Summit Asset Management, but Dechambeau added that he had not asked the Windsors for a penny.

"I've never asked anybody to help with the costs, but I wouldn't mind a low-interest loan from a bank," he said of the scheme that will benefit from a feed-in-tariff. "But I can't get one of those."

The news of the screws' installation was welcomed by Friends of the Earth (FoE), which said the royal family are setting a good example by using green energy.

"This is exciting news – we urgently need to develop clean and safe energy to tackle climate change and build a greener economy, and it's great that the royal family is showing leadership in doing so," said FoE director of policy and campaigns Craig Bennett.

"Obviously, schemes should be carefully located to avoid any negative environmental impacts. In this case, the Environment Agency says there'll be no adverse effects on wildlife, navigation or flood control.

The green group also used the opportunity to urge the government to boost its efforts to increase the amount of renewables in the energy mix.

"It's not just the royals who can take advantage of the UK's huge potential for renewable energy on and offshore – from our wind and sun to our waves and river weirs.

"The government should get on with the job of greening all our energy supplies and ensure that communities are properly supported to produce their own clean power."