South Somerset Hydropower Group (SSHG) is a group of water-mill owners based in South Somerset. They are using hydropower turbines to generate electricity in an environmentally sensitive manner.

The UK has thousands of historic water-mills previously used for weaving or grain milling which have fallen out of use. These sites usually had a mill-pond from which water led through a channel to drive the mill wheel. Small hydropower turbines can be installed at many old mill sites to generate electricity. They have minimal impact on water flow, or local ecology. The hydropower installations generally promote the preservation of the historic mill buildings that house them, because mills used to generate electricity will be kept in a good state of repair. SSHG have emphasised the general maintenance of mill buildings. and installed energy efficiency measures where possible. Mill owners earn an income from the sale of electricity.

SSHG is currently working with ten sites, two of which were in operation in June 2005. The total annual electricity generation at the ten sites is estimated at about 600 MWh, which is sufficient to supply 150 average homes and will avoid the production of 260 tonnes of CO2 per year.

SSHG estimates that there are about 40,000 mill sites in the UK that might be suitable for micro hydropower. In the South West there is a high concentration of such sites, and SSHG is helping a similar group in North Dorset to start up.