SME Premier Award sponsored by Blake Lapthorn
Presented at The Lincoln Centre, London on 1 July 2009 by Richard Lambert, Director-General, CBI.
River Dart Country Park Ltd
Hydro dynamic screw
Richard Lambert (left) presenting the BCE SME Premier Award to Mark Simpson, River Dart Country Park
River Dart Country Park Ltd is a country house estate offering camping, bed and breakfast, corporate hospitality and weddings. In 2007, it had a turnover in excess of £1.1 million.
The company is passionate about sustainable development and the environment, and decided to install a hydro dynamic screw to generate its own electricity. This was the first time this technology had been used in the UK. It is based on the Archimedes screw, but works in reverse – river water drives the screw, gearbox and generator.
The use of the screw overcomes the major problems of screening water-borne debris and fish that other systems have to cope with. Extensive research showed that the screw has no adverse affect on fish and it is fully approved by the Environment Agency.
The renewable energy generated by the screw is sufficient to power the site for a minimum of 8 months of the year and significantly reduces the company’s carbon footprint. In its first year of operation, the screw generated over 330,000 kWh.
Following the success of this project, there are about 20 other sites considering installing hydro dynamic screws – including one in the River Thames to provide power for Windsor Castle.
To see the River Dart video click here.
www.riverdart.co.uk
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