Water power generator in south Shropshire hits significant energy milestone
A water turbine that could power six per cent of the homes in Ludlow has passed a significant milestone in energy production.
Ludlow Hydro, which uses a 30 kilowatt Archimedes screw turbine in the Horseshoe Weir of the River Teme, has exceeded 1 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy output.
It is run by the Ludlow Hydro Co-operative (LHC) which has 168 members, including Ludlow MP Philip Dunne who was impressed by the milestone.
The Archimedes screw design - so named after the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher - was chosen as it allows fish to pass through harmlessly. It works in collaboration with the Teme Weirs Trust.
Mr Dunne said: "Ludlow Hydro Cooperative is a good example of how we can utilise the power of our rivers in waterways to generate clean energy for the community.
"I first visited the site over seven years ago and caught up with the team at the cooperative on site in last summer, so it is impressive to learn that LHC have reached this remarkable milestone of over 1m KWh of renewable electricity generated. I congratulate everyone involved at LHC in harnessing the clean power potential of the River Teme.”
Anthony Shuster, chairman of the LHC, explains: “To put this into context, it amounts to producing enough electricity to power around 345 average UK homes for an entire year, equivalent to some six per cent of Ludlow’s homes. This is a remarkable achievement and one we intend celebrating with our co-op members, later in the year.”
The turbine comprises a large helical steel screw, about 2.5m in diameter, rotating at a very slow speed, in a concrete and steel trough.
The screw itself is not visible from the river, as it sits inside an enclosure built of the same stone and timber as the neighbouring mill buildings, so it blends in with its surroundings. The enclosure also provides sound insulation to ensure noise levels are kept very low.
Working in collaboration with the Teme Weirs Trust, a display board positioned on the riverbank at Temeside in Ludlow was updated in 2019, to provide additional information about the scheme for the benefit of visitors to the town. Further information and a ‘live’ generation counter can also be viewed on the LHC website at ludlowhydro.org.uk.
On Monday the live generation counter was showing 1,004,080 KWh had been generated.
