More grist to the mill?

I've always been fascinated with water mills and have never really understood why so many disappeared during my younger days. I guess that cheap electricity made them largely uneconomic to run.

But, water mills themselves can, and do, in a few instances, generate electricity in their own right. However, the DBERR's (it used to be the simple to understand DTI) rules on awarding double ROC's (Renewable Obligation Certificates) on all micro-generation projects appear to be pushing many water mills out of the equation as reported in CarbonFree.

"For example at Tellisford, with Declared Net Capacity (DNC) of 55kW, the site will generate about 280,000 kWh per year, on which the income including its single ROC will be about £26,600. Yet a slightly smaller site with DNC of 50kW would generate about 231,000 kWh per year, on which including double ROCs it would earn about £33,500. Thus a mill generating 17% less electricity would receive 26% more money."

Now that is simply insane. Yet another example of rules being ill thought out, poorly implemented and actually forcing the opposite of what they were intended to do in the first place.

Well done (extremely sarcastically, of course) DBERR.

Addendum:
I meant to include this too. It rather reminds me of the retired engineer who rebuilt a derelict old water mill into a highly desirable property somewhere in Derbyshire some 15 to 20 years ago. He didn't want the mill wheel working and doing nothing, so he adapted it to generate enough power for his own benefit. All was going well until Severn Trent Water Authority decided that it would charge him thousands of pounds a year for using their water to generate electricity!

Of course, he simply shut down the mill wheel.

There are rules, and then there are rules made to break your faith in the system

As I think Transport for London were a co-sponsor of the Awards, Friday was not the night to have a go at them or anything, but I was not best impressed to find that, having arrived (yes, we went by car - try getting back to Ross at night any other way) at 5.30pm and inadvertently passing into the C-zone (and the actual signage being VERY unclear to those not from London who may not be aware of the 'rules'), by obviously having to wait 'ti the next day to pay our fee (the House of Lords not being a major retailer of such things) we'd been stung another £2 (on top of £8) for the privilege. Why? There is no reason I can see other than sheer, naked, greed.

Also, as we are on the not so small matter of legislation and the public it serves, on the news I heard that 'forgetting' who was driving if snapped by a robot is now going to be made an offence. My wife and I swapped several times en route home to stay fresh. We have no clue who was in which seat when. yet we are guilty until we can prove... er, no... we are just guilty. This is madness.

And how many pols in our 'Houses of' are prone to having no recollection of events by way of getting out of them. That is sheer hypocrisy.