Stockport Hydro - Romiley Manchester - Hydroelectric Power Stations on Waymarking.com

The station is located on the River Goyt and there next to a public footpath which at this point is shared by the Midshires Way, a long distance hiking trail. There is also a car park at the station.

A notice board on the fence tells us all about the system.

Stockport Hydro - community owned renewable energy supply

Otterspool Weir
You are standing in front of the first community-owned hydroelectric scheme in Greater Manchester. The water diverted from the weir flows down the Archimedean screw turbines, turning them and generating electricity. Fish are not harmed by passing down the screws and there is a special new fish pass to assist fish such as salmon in swimming up the river to breed. The power generated rises to 60kW when the river is high, and drops to a tenth of that when there is less water available. In a typical year enough clean, green electricity is generated for the domestic usage of over 175 local residents (Based on Ofgem figures for average UK households). The scheme was funded primarily by a community share offer which has raised more than £250,000, supported by a loan and a grant that covered environmental works including the fish pass. The renewable electricity that we generate feeds into the national grid; any profits will be distributed amongst local community projects and a return paid to our investors.

History
The weir was built by Jesse Howard of Stockport, a local mill owner who planned a cotton mill on the river in the 19th century. The mill here was never built but there are many similar weirs marking the sites of old mills on the Goyt and Etherow rivers. Upstream at New Mills, the Torrs Hydro scheme of a similar size has been operating since 2008. Planning for the Otterspool scheme began in 2009; the necessary consents were obtained including planning permission and an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency (permission to divert the water) and construction was complete by May 2012. The system started generating in October 2012 and by March 2013, we had produced 100,000 units (kWh)

Operation
The usable height of the weir is 1.35 m (4'6"). At full power, 260 tonnes of water flows down the screws every minute. The main parts of the system are:

• The intake screens, to catch debris;

• The sluice gates, which use hydraulic rams to shut off the water to each screw;

• The screws, which rotate under the weight of water and drive the generators. Archimedes screws were originally designed to be turned to raise water - here. they run in reverse.

• The gearboxes, which speed up the slow screw rotation by a ratio of 1:90 to drive the generators, at up to 3000rpm;

• The generators, which convert the mechanical power into three-phase mains electricity that is fed into the grid.

• The control system, that measures the river level and matches the power generated to the water flow available.

We have a variable speed control. As the river flow drops. the speed of the screws is reduced to maintain the inlet water level At low rates of flow, one screw stops entirely to reduce losses. This enables maintenance to take place.

Wildlife
At all times, the system ensures that the water depth over the weir is at least 6cm. This protects wildlife and the river ecosystem. Water flow is also maintained down the stepped fish pass (between the fence and the screws), which will enable small fish to swim up the river for the first time since the weir was built

Other enhancements for wildlife include four bat nesting boxes and a mammal pass (a wooden ladder and bridge upstream of the intake) to allow mammals such as voles, otters and badgers access to the river-bank and a route under the bridge.

Join us The project is run and maintained by local volunteers. Why not join us? www.stockport-hydro.co.uk 427 0411

Environment
The submerged bottom bearings of the screws use a food-grade biodegradable oil.

Over the projected 40-year life of the system, the energy generated will far exceed the energy needed to make the materials such as steel and concrete.

Operational: yes Type of power station: Run-of-the-river Type of turbine: Other/Unknown Operator: Stockport Hydro Ltd. Visitor center: no Date built: 10/01/2012 Generation capacity: 60 KW

Visit Instructions:
For posting a log to an existing waymark, you will need to post a unique picture of the power station. If is not open to the public, please do not enter private property. A picture from the distance is sufficent. If it's possible to enter the machine hall, a picture of it would be nice. Please add some additional informations if possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/09/2022 Gushoneybun visited it