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Derwent power source for Chatsworth
AN ARCHIMEDES screw could be submerged in the River Derwent to produce power for Chatsworth House, the head of the Peak District National Park Authority has claimed.
Park chief executive Jim Dixon revealed the plan in an online blog entry, which described a trip to the estate with the authority's cultural heritage team.
Mr Dixon told how members stopped to look at the weirs on the Derwent, now largely seen as a place for children to play.
He said: "Many of these structures were built for power, indeed there are remains of cornmills in the landscape today.
"There are plans afoot to install some of the latest hydropower 'Archimedes' screws here, and on a day when the Derwent is in full flow it is easy to see how this can be a source of energy," he added.
Hydropower has been used on the estate since 1893, when the eighth Duke of Devonshire bought water-powered turbines, which supplied electricity to the house until it was linked to the National Grid in 1936.
Another turbine system was introduced in the 1980s to provide a third of the house's electric, using the same 19th Century pipes.
But hydropower technology has moved on considerably since then.
Efficient and modern 'reverse Archimedes screws', as used at Torrs Hydro in New Mills, are now available.
Chatsworth House confirmed an employee was studying potential hydropower systems, but said he was unavailable for comment.
A spokeswoman said: "It is being investigated but this is a project in its infancy. We haven't had any approval on it yet so we don't want to talk about it until further down the line."
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Weather for Bakewell
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
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