Antique Mini Hydro Plant

[Ianab]

Thought this might interest the hydro power guys.

It's an old mini-hydro station that's still in operation up on the slopes of Mt Egmont. The generator was built in 1901, and initially used in Wellington, first by the military, then to power a set up cable cars (that are still in operation.) In 1934 it was moved up the Taranaki to power a visitors lodge on the Sth slopes of the Mt (Dawson falls) before they had grid power connected up there. They now have grid power, but still run the hydro as backup and a little tourist attraction. It's thought to be one of the longest continuously used generators in the world.



It's in the rainforest up there, so there is plenty of water. You can see the mist as we where up in the cloud base that day.

The building locked up for obvious reasons, but when you push a button it all lights up and you can look inside.


So from left to right you can see the slip rings, the coils of the generator, a flywheel, and the cover of the Pelton wheel that provides the power.

Other end of the wheel has a belt drive to some clever hydraulic governor thing that controls the water flow.


The old switch board and meters.


Around the back is the penstock feeding on the water.


Tail race runs out the front under the walkway.


And carries on down the Mt.


I thought it was cool how the 100+ year old technology is still working perfectly.

Ian

[Ljohnsaw]

Thanks for sharing - very cool!

[giant splinter]

That is an oldie but a goodie it seems to be about as well maintained as it gets.
Thanks that kinda stuff is always fun to see.

[r.man]

Thanks for the pictures Ian, I love to see old machinery still running.

[fishpharmer]

Kind of you to share, the pictures are much appreciated.  I have a fascination with old machinery.  Also, cannot help but wonder if there were or are similar small hydroelectric systems in the USA?  I have not seen or heard of any like that but, there's a lot I haven't seen or heard about.  Thanks

[Ron Wenrich]

I went through a 200 yr old grist mill that was water powered.  A low head system that is still in operation.  The engineering was fascinating. 

I was also through a newer hydro plant that produced 500 kW.  The weekly maintenance was to pay someone to come in and grease a few bearings.  It was on a dam on a small creek.  I loved the simplicity, and the constant paycheck that operation gave for the little input other than capital.  It ran pretty much like what Ian has shown.

[Ianab]

Kind of you to share, the pictures are much appreciated.  I have a fascination with old machinery.  Also, cannot help but wonder if there were or are similar small hydroelectric systems in the USA?  I have not seen or heard of any like that but, there's a lot I haven't seen or heard about.  Thanks

The unit was built in the USA, so I imagine some where used there as well.

This one survived because they didn't get grid power up to the road end until 1985, and didn't connect the tourist lodge to it until 1995. By then the station was recognised as old, historic, and worth restoring. I bet a lot of them where scrapped in earlier years when grid power was connected to remote places.

[Texas Ranger]

A friend has a small electric generator on a creek in Sneedville, Tennessee, I have not seen it, but he is off the grid and loving it.

[dgdrls]

Kind of you to share, the pictures are much appreciated.  I have a fascination with old machinery.  Also, cannot help but wonder if there were or are similar small hydroelectric systems in the USA?  I have not seen or heard of any like that but, there's a lot I haven't seen or heard about.  Thanks

There are a bunch of small hydro's in the States, if there is moving water you can be pretty certain it was or still is harnessed to make electricity.
The company I work with manages 75+ stations in NY State alone.
Many are early 1900's and some drove paper-mills that were later split off
They however are not as pretty as the Station Ian shared with us :D

[mometal77]

Great photos. I do love the old gauges. It sure is different now having everything digital through a governor to regulate the load from the generator. Usually the older plants had wood stave pipes.  It is told that one plant had water coming to the plant from 30 miles away. When i was in Reno I went to the Museum.  One hydro plant north of me called Nooksack Falls Hydroelectric Power Plant runs at 2 mw. From what I was told by the old timer who ran it for quite a few years. Lumber mills in this area first thing they did was put in light bulbs. A neat old plant was burnt up some years ago when a guy took over and let the back feet go back into the generator from the main grid. What amazed me as miners dug through solid rock and back down to the plant with tools.  I was told the PUD legally stole the land from the Miners.   These old plants are something else. I was told when you synchronize the hydro to the grid the old way they used just a 120v light bulb. When it went dead. What was amazing was the brass pelton wheels everything was brought in by animals on sleds. These plants back then bypass all the regulations. Built before agencies existed. Reminds me of a man who talked about Mount Rushmore if someone was to built it today it would take 5 years in the court system and the agencies would turn the project down.  In my state they would rather put in 100 mw natural gas power plants then put in hydro. Having natural gas come out of Canada.  They did remove an old hydro dam on the Olympic Peninsula Elwha dam. I am glade i saw part of it and the old steam plant north of boeing field before they where removed.  Found this when looking for pressures a 6 inch green sewer pvc will hold. I am replacing my 4 inch at the head with 6 inch i found on craigslist so I found this site.  http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html

[scsmith42]

Very cool Ian!  Thanks for sharing.

[WoodenHead]

Very nice.  Thanks for sharing that.  I would love to have an operation like that.   ;D

When I was studying electrical engineering in university we made a trip to a facility built around 1890's I believe and refurbished in the early 1900's.  It is located along the Ottawa river (Chaudière Falls).  The generators have been operating for over 100 years.  While we were there, the operator took one of the generators off line and then re-synchronized to the grid using the old equipment.  When the connection was made the whole building shook.  I'll never forget that.