This is London’s first hydroelectric turbine installed for National Trust at Morden Hall Park.
The 8.5KW hydropower turbine generates enough power for 18 average-sized houses in the UK, and is used to run the stable yard visitor centre and Snuff Mill on the estate.
The turbine was installed as part of Morden’s £2.6m Living Green sustainability programme, with the hydroelectric element costing £380,000.
The turbine has an Archimedes screw design with a ”low head”, which works well for watercourses with low drops, like Morden’s 1.2m difference between water levels. Hydropower has previously been confined to the heady drops of Scotland and Wales, but the screw design should enable rivers in the south of England to generate electricity.
