Power from the Landscape

Nov

18

2011

Sheffield Renewables on Energyshare and Angling Trust hydro report

The Energyshare fund vote is here - there are several hydro schemes in the running including Sheffield Renewables scheme at Jordan Dam - a great scheme to vote for.

A former water mill, at Travesio in northern Italy, has been renovated and converted into a micro-hydroelectric scheme, and is now saving 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The plant, which is based on an Archimedes' screw concept, is controlled by a Unidrive SP ac drive from Control Techniques, which also provides the interface between the generator and the power grid.

A new report from the Angling Trust on hydropower has been published. The report can be downloaded from this page of the Angling Trust website. Unfortunately it's not that detailed - the current examples of good practice contain little specific information on what makes them good. The Trust does includes a 3 stage test as a general rule of thumb:

1. if the development can be proved to have a very low impact on the ecology and other functions of the rivers both individually and cumulatively with other schemes and;
2. if it is installed on an existing weir and;
3. if that weir cannot be removed or eased for technical reasons or because it has some other legitimate and long standing function (such as navigation on heavily used rivers).

As such it doesn't include any guidelines/thoughts on medium or high head schemes. Some interesting points are made in the report - although many of the assertions in the report have no references or background info.

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Alternative technology Centre - Hebden Bridge

Sheffield Renewables on Energyshare and Angling Trust hydro report

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