In a pioneering project, Jackson restored Romney Weir and installed a pair of Archimedes screw driven generators powered by the flow of the Thames.
Our impact
20t
Mass of each of two turbines
10m3/s
Average draw from river
1.4M kWh
Annual power generation
The team watched the installation from the royal bank behind Windsor Castle.
Innovation in the back garden of tradition
Romney weir lies on a stretch of the Thames between Windsor Castle and Eton College. There the river glides ceaselessly by, while on its banks time seems to move more slowly.
The proposal for a hydroelectric generator followed restoration work to the weir for the Environment Agency. It would be the first Archimedes screw hydropower plant in the world and the largest hydro installation in the UK.
But the Thames supports much aquatic life, chiefly fish and invertebrate populations including migratory species, and environmental concerns were high on the list.
Through careful study it was shown that the project could generate sufficient power to be feasible without adversely affecting the environmental balance downstream.
Manning the pumps: Jackson’s project team worked with lifting specialists to position the screws.
Each of two 20 tonne screws was carefully craned into position.
Running waterworks
There are obvious engineering challenges in working on any river and the Thames, with a mean rate of 60 cubic metres per second, has a relatively fast flow for a lowland river.
The weir itself is situated on a tiny island making access only possible via floating platforms.
All the plant and materials needed for the project had to be transported by river. Working with lifting partners, the two 20 tonne turbines were craned in to their seats in the modified weir.
One’s own generation
The installation of the plant included a high capacity cable to connect the royal household at Windsor with the turbine powered generator.
At full capacity the plant produces 300kW and approximately 1.4m kW hours per year.
All materials and plant for the project had to be floated onto the site up river.
