Water

Hydro Power
When water falls over a drop, it releases energy. Usually this seeps away into the surroundings. Hydro power technology catches this energy and uses it to turn a generator, producing electricity. The power available depends on the total flow of water and the height over which it falls.

The best sites for hydro in Sheffield are likely to be located on the various weirs along the river Don. Average river flows are around 4 cubic meters per second and a typical fall height is about 2m. We reckon this could provide 150 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power 35 typical homes. Some of the sites we are looking at are a bit bigger than this (say up to 100 homes) and some are a bit smaller (say 20-25 homes).

There are three types of hydro generator: water wheel, Archimedean screw and turbine. For a given site, one is usually better suited than the others. The Sheffield sites are most likely to favour either a water wheel or an Archimedean screw.
Tidal power is another form of renewable energy which involves water, but we don’t see much potential for this in Sheffield!