Renewable energy is nothing new at Cann Mills. The River Sturkel has powered a water wheel here for over one thousand years!
With the advancement in technology and a helpful grant from Low Carbon Dorset we have embarked on two phases to maximise our use of clean energy. The first phase has just been completed with the installation of 30 solar panels on the roof of our grain store. We have also replaced all our light fittings with LED units to reduce the amount of electricity we use. The second phase is scheduled for this autumn when we are converting the water wheel to electricity generation. Our lovely iron overshot water wheel, installed in 1861, will be linked up with a 21st century generation system, this will directly assist in powering the flour milling machinery. Over a 24 hour period we will be extracting a greater amount of energy from the ever flowing River Sturkel and hopefully less from the grid.