Stanley Mill harnessed the power of the River Tay for 200 years before it closed in 1989. In 2003, the construction of a run-of-river hydropower scheme with an installed capacity of 840kW was commissioned by RWE and completed in 2004. Following the collapse of the intake screen at the hydro scheme in December 2015, Hydroplan was employed to carry out a Stage 1 Assessment and Stage 2 Detailed Design for the screen replacement.

The first stage study comprised an assessment of the existing structure, provisional design of uprights, acceptable loading on the bed, different design options and related head loss and approach velocity distribution. It was important to ensure that the design options considered all possible modes of the catastrophic collapse to avoid any failures in the future. In addition, the elements that remained intact following the collapse were assessed for their purpose to determine any required redesigns.

The recommendations for improvement were discussed with the client representatives to decide on the final design specifications. Subsequently, Hydroplan outlined the detailed design during the second stage, including specifications of the intake screen, support structures, walkway and reinstallation of the cleaner beam. The design utilised existing conditions on site, reused any undamaged parts of the old screen, and minimised the installation time on site.

The work on site commenced in November in 2016 and finished in December the same year, well within the allocated timeframe.

The post Stanley Mills Hydro first appeared on Hydroplan - Hydropower Consultancy.

Coulin Estate is located near Kinlochewe, Wester Ross in the Northwest Scottish Highlands. In 2010, Hydroplan identified the potential for five run-of-river schemes on the estate and planning consent was granted for all sites in December 2013. Hydroplan proceeded with the construction of three schemes, due to unviable economics and environmental protection status associated with the other two sites, respectively.

The three schemes, Torran-Cuilinn (100kW), Easan Dorcha (995kW) and Coire Crubaidh (100kW), include four intakes and three powerhouses. In addition, a private electrical network (11kV) was built to connect two of the more remote powerhouses to the grid via the Coulin Pass.

In addition to this, a new 6km access track was built which served the dual purpose of providing a suitable route for vehicles during the construction of the hydro schemes and also as a haul road to remove the existing mature forestry on the estate. Read more about this here – Coulin Forest Access Track (CFAT)

Construction of Coire Crubaidh began in September 2016 and in August 2017 for Torran-Cuilinn and Easan Dorcha. All three schemes were completed in October 2018.

The post Coulin Estate first appeared on Hydroplan - Hydropower Consultancy.

Corrour Estate is a remote sporting estate on the west coast of Scotland.  Water has been used to provide electricity to the estate since 1996 with the installation of a 55kW Gilkes turbine.  The output from this turbine was intermittent and was being backed up by expensive and pollution diesel generation.

Hydroplan was employed by the estate in 2009 to review the hydroelectric potential on the estate including upgrading the existing scheme.   The project was divided up into 2 phases.

Phase 1

• Three run-of-river schemes were identified – Chamabhreac (1.2MW), Uisge Labhair (1.2MW) and Creagaich (100kW).
• Planning consent for these three schemes was obtained in November 2011.
• Design
• On-site supervision
• Construction started in July 2013
• The three schemes were commissioned in December 2015.
• In order to connect these schemes to the grid, a 10km buried cable had to be laid across Rannoch Moor to the point of connection on the neighbouring Dunan Estate.

Phase 2
A fourth scheme has been developed in conjunction with the neighbouring Ardverikie Estate.  The 2.8MW Ghuilbinn scheme has four Gilkes turbines and a large (2.6m) diameter pipe. This scheme was commissioned in 2018.

Hydroplan has completed the following document to showcase the works undertaken with the hydro schemes at Corrour.

Find out more about the Moy HV Network undertaken as part of the wider Corrour Estate works by Hydroplan.

The post Corrour Estate first appeared on Hydroplan - Hydropower Consultancy.