Community Hydropower at Ludford Mill
Ludford Mill hydropower scheme is a community investment project which will supply hydropower for local households with excess power supplied to the grid. The Ludlow Hydro Co-operative made the decision to harness the river Teme for Ludlow by bringing the 17th Century listed Ludford Mill back to life by installing a state-of-the art Archimedean Screw hydropower turbine, cunningly designed to fit in with the current buildings. Installed at a 17th Century listed mill and horseshoe weir on the Teme the semi compact Archimedean Screw hydropower turbine with a maximun power output of 29kW and an estimated annual output of 170,000kWh will save 73 tonnes of CO2 annually.
The Archimedean Screw is contained inside an enclosure which is built to complement the structure of the existing buildings, and the screw itself will not be visible. The enclosure will also provide sound insulation so that noise levels will be kept very low.
The scheme was designed by Mannpower Consulting Ltd and the civil engineering work began on the hydro turbine in the second week in August 2015 and the schedule was that by the second week in October the main enclosure walls would be complete, with stop logs top and bottom, which would allow the removal of the temporary cofferdam and retreat out of the river itself.
Over the next few months between October and January preparations were put in place to build the pump house for the electrical control gear, sluice gates, screens and walkways were installed and electrical cables and hydraulic lines were in place for the arrival of the turbine.
Then 30kW Archimedean Screw hydropower turbine designed by Landustrie arrived on site in March and was commissioned by Mannpower and Eco Evolution in April.
Once again we see the Ancient power of Archimedes being used for hydropower generation because if it’s fish-friendly credentials. The Archimedean Screw turbine provides a fish-friendly alternative to conventional turbines, ideally suited to low-head (1m-10m) sites, and sites with fish protection issues. Extensive fish passage tests have conclusively demonstrated that the large water chambers and slow rotation of the Archimedean Screw allow fish of all sizes, and debris, safe passage through the turbine. As a result, the Environment Agency has agreed that no screening is required.
