Something that most of us are all aware of at the moment is the need to come up with better ways to live to reduce our carbon footprint, the negative impact that we have on the planet and to help to reduce climate change and the environmental issues that come from it.
Power is something that the natural world has in abundance and putting a stop to the use of the more damaging power sources is an important part of the fight against climate change. From our homes to our cars, coming up with better ways to power them for the environment is crucial.
Water is something that the Earth has in abundance and is a great natural power source. Harnessing the power of water goes back thousands of years, to the ancient Greeks, and today we use things like this hydraulic power pack https://www.hydraproducts.co.uk for many different things.
Using water on a larger scale to generate electricity is also something that is not just an idea – it is a reality that has been happening for decades in the UK – since 1984, Dinorwig power station in North Wales has been a pioneer of renewable energy and is certainly a beacon of hope for the future.
In the beautiful Snowdonia national park, this fantastically forward-thinking power station, known as Mynydd Gwefru, or electric mountain sits the power station that is producing electricity from the power of water – a hydroelectric power station. The commissioning of the power station in 1984, was at the time one of the most forward thinking and imaginative technological achievements. From both an environmental perspective and from an engineering one, it was impressive.
Beneath the Elidir mountain, around 16 kilometres of tunnels were built to house the power station. Above is a reservoir called Marchlyn Mawr. Water is pumped into the large reservoir, which is above some turbines – these turbines then turn and use the power of the water to produce electricity.
In one of the caverns beneath the mountain (Europe’s largest man-made cavern) are the generating units – these then send electricity out when it is needed. The pumps are reversible, so at off-peak times, when the demand for electricity is low, these pumps then send water back into the reservoir.
This fantastic system is a great example of how creativity, expert engineering and using the natural resources and landscape that is available, can give us new, better and greener ways to produce power.
Dinorwig power station is just one great example of the way that we should be thinking as we head into the future. It shows us how there are other options to be explored and by putting all of the creativity and expertise together, how we can all come up with even better ways to improve the way that we live, with much fewer negative consequences for the planet.