Romney Weir on the River Thames
Southeast Power Engineering is designing and constructing a power generation scheme consisting of a pair of hydroelectric turbines to be installed in the Romney Weir below Windsor Castle, between Eton and Windsor.
Windsor Castle will be the primary customer of the electricity generated by the system with any excess power entering the National Grid.
Hydropower generation at the Romney weir has been investigated by a number of companies, but until Southeast Power Engineering stepped in, no one had been able to develop the site economically. Southeast Power Engineering is approaching the job using a new design and construction concept using two Archimedes screw turbines. These new turbines will be capable of generating more power than designs originally considered and be the first of their type in southeast England. These turbines along with novel methods of installation make the project economically viable.
The Photo to the left shows the location of the Project and Romney Weir with Windsor Castle in the Foreground.
Planning permission for the new scheme was granted by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Planning Committees in August of 2008 and plans are well underway. Construction will take place in 2009 and the system will be commissioned and become operational in late 2009.
The scheme will consist of two 4 meter diameter Archimedes screw type turbines, occupying two bays in the Romney Weir. It is expected to generate 1.4 million kilowatt hours (units) of electricity a year, enough to meet the needs of around 300 households.
Specifications for the Project are as follows:
- Turbine Type – Two 4 meter diameter Archimedes screw turbines, occupying 3 bays of the Romney Weir
- Installed Capacity – 300 kilowatts
- Flow of water – Between 5 and 20 cubic meters per second depending on river flow
- Annual energy output – 1,400,000 kW Hours (units) of carbon free electricity; enough to meet the needs of around 300 homes
If there are any questions about this or other projects, please contact us.