We are proud to be involved with a ground breaking renewable electricity generation scheme in the Torrs Riverside Park at the centre of New Mills. The community owned scheme cleverly uses an old stone weir across the river Goyt which was built over 100 years ago and was designed to power a Cotton Mill. When the mill burnt down in 1912 it became obsolete.
The Archimedes' Screw was installed in the autumn of 2008 and is now generating renewable electricity from the river. The turbine which has been nicknamed 'Archie' is based on an ancient technology originally designed to transport water uphill. Now the design has been reversed and Archie makes electricity from the power of the water flowing down the Goyt river.
For more details about Torrs Hydro please visit the Torrs Hydro website or the Torrs Hydro blog for the latest updates and pictures.
The hydro scheme generates up to 60kw which is enough to power over 50 homes. So far it is producing over 130,000 kwh of renewable electricity every year. In the future we hope to improve this even further by tweaking its design.
The unique design of the system means fish and other aquatic life can pass through it unharmed. As it was only the 2nd one of its kind built in the country it has attracted lots of media attention and demonstrates how communities can work together to tackle climate change. The next phase is now to look for other sites in the country where similar systems could be built.
Work has started on a similar project 5 miles down the river at Otterspool weir in Stockport which we are also supporting and it should be running by the end of 2011. Its not too late for you to get involved in this scheme or similar ones around the country by buying shares, see h2ope for details. Hopefully the schemes will continue to be successful and many more will be built in the future.
Mrs Nicky Burgess, Shaw Farm, New Mills, High Peak, SK22 4QE
+44 (0)161 427 1841
nicky.burgess@shawfarmholidays.co.uk