Freeman's Reach in Durham City is on course to become the UK's first city centre development incorporating a hydropower generator following the installation of a new turbine.
An Archimedean screw, manufactured by water treatment and power specialists, Spaans Babcock Ltd, will harvest energy from the River Wear to drive a 100kw generator that is capable of supplying 75% of the total energy requirement of the development.
The screw was installed as part of a carefully co-ordinated operation between the Freeman's Reach development team and Durham County Council. It will now undergo a programme of commissioning works before it begins generating power in the autumn.
Measuring 13m long and weighing 20 tonnes the screw has also been developed to help improve the ecology of the River Wear as its design incorporates as an improved fish pass.
The new turbine will continue the legacy of hydro-power generation at Freeman's Reach, which dates back more than 800 years to the original medieval Bishop's Mill. Throughout the centuries a variety of buildings have benefited from hydroelectricity including the former ice rink, which was powered by a 1930s turbine.
Photo: Installation of a new turbine at Freeman's Reach in Durham, UK
