The group behind a community operated hydro electric power station in the Esk Valley say there is more scope for similar projects to be rolled out elsewhere in the country.
This week we are teaming up with local and community radio stations around the UK for "Our Earth Week", looking at the environmental initiatives taking place in local communities and one of the hot topics right now is the issue of electricity generation as nations try to decarbonise the power grid by moving more energy production over to renewable sources.
Here on the Yorkshire Coast one local group has been doing their bit for green power for well over a decade.
Whitby Esk Energy have been running their hydro electric plant in Ruswarp for the last 15 years and group Chair - Rory Newman - would like to see more backing for small hydro-electric projects.
The Whitby Esk Energy plant at Ruswarp can provide enough power for around 40 homes.
Rory Newman says there are lots of rivers in the UK that could support small hydro plants but he says the current electricity pricing frameworks make it difficult to build new schemes.
Rory says the system at Ruswarp relies on on some very old scientific principles.
The project started 15 years ago after a group of local enthusiasts came together, Rory says hydro power generation was not their original aim.
The community-owned 50kW Archimedes screw generates around 120,000 kWh of electricity per year, which is enough to power around 40 homes. It is operated and maintained by a team of local volunteers.
Despite the interest in renewable power and the UK's abundance of rivers and water Rory says there has been a lack of new development in small scale hydro power in recent years.
There is more information about Whitby Esk Energy at https://whitbyeskenergy.org.uk/
There is a live display of the plants current generating output at https://whitbyeskenergy.org.uk/live-view/
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