Hydropower ~ Generation of renewable energy

Due to the global warming and the increase of both global power consumption and oil prices, generation of renewable and environmental energy is being promoted and subsidized worldwide. There are many forms of harvesting eco friendly and renewable sources, with hydropower being its most mature and largest source of renewable power. The power plants simply convert the energy from flowing water into electricity, in most cases using a dam/weir on a river to retain a large reservoir of water. This water is then released trough turbines in order to generate electricity. Hydropower plants produce no air emissions but in most cases affect the water quality, wildlife habitats and especially prevent the fish migration.

However the highly efficient Archimedean screw has been “re-invented” to generate electricity all year round at 24 hours per day, whilst obtaining the natural flow of the river, in combination with its natural fish friendliness and a small fish trap it is one of the few systems that is able to maintain or even improve the wildlife in and around the river.

Overview of an Archimedean Screw ~ Photo Credit: Landustrie
Overview of an Archimedean Screw ~ Photo Credit: Landustrie

A hydropower screw is a profitable source of income and entirely environmental friendly, once you possess the water rights of a flow. The  hydropower screw can be used in places or areas where there is a low head ≤10 meters and a flow of ≤15m³/s

Examples of the types of sites suitable for the installation of an Archimedean Screw:

  • Rivers
  • In an existing spillway, lock or in a weir system
  • To replace existing waterwheels or other types of generators
  • Old Mill sites
  • (Waste) Water treatment inlets / outlets
  • Cooling water outlets of power stations
  • Industrial process water (i.e. Paper industries or steel mills)
  • Anywhere where water is available at a higher level

If you own any of the above site types and would like to find out more about how the Archimedean Screw Hydro Turbine can be of benefit to you please contact us here and we will endeavour to point you in the right direction.

We offer a friendly one-stop shop for hydro development, from feasibility studies to licensing, to installation and commissioning and everything in between!