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Object numberCHREM:2013.1
Object categoryindustry equipment
Object nameGenerator
DescriptionWater turbine generator by Armfield - Electricity from water - Hydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and water. As electricity became a more reliable technology in the late 19th century, it was natural that electrical engineers looked to hydropower to turn generators. Early installations like Lord Armstrong's at Cragside paved the way for companies such as Gilkes and the less well-known maker of this turbine, Arnyfield, to produce standardised small generating sets. This set was made in 1926, at a time when rural communities around the UK were hungry for an electricity supply. Yet the National Grid had only just begun to be built. Many people living in cities had benefited from an electric power supply for 30 years by these years, but their country counterparts usually had to rely on older technologies such as oil lamps, unless they were rich enough to make their own power. So this generator was an ideal solution for the small town of Ringwood in Dorset. It was not particularly powerful: but was sufficient to supply the electric lighting needs of a cluster of homes using free energy from the local river. By the 1950s, tiny local power stations like this fell out of favour for several reasons. They usually couldn't meet the rising demand for electricity in their areas. They produced fairly expensive electricity because of their small scale compared to the giant power stations feeding the National Grid. In those days, it seemed cheaper and easier to let them fall into disuse and hook everyone up to a solidly built central system. Now, of course, microgeneration, carefully synchronised to the grid, is making a comeback as a low-carbon energy source.
Production date 1920-01-01 - 1929-12-31 1926 - 1926
SubjectGenerator
Persons keywordArmfield, J.J. and Co Ltd, Ringwood, Dorset
Materialmetal
Dimensions
- Height: 4750 mm
Width: 2650 mm
Depth: 5000 mm