At Windsor Castle, 'Sovereign Power' Goes Hydroelectric

Queen Elizabeth—Britain’s second-longest reigning royal monarch—is ensuring that her power supply is sustainable, too.  

At Windsor Castle, her favorite residence, the Queen is converting to hydroelectric power. Two 40-ton Archimedes screws were installed earlier this week within sight of the castle, at Romney Weir on the River Thames, and are expected to be switched on in November.

Manufactured in Holland for about $1 million, the Archimedes screws cost another $1.6 million to install. The screws (or turbines) are nearly 40 feet long and 13 feet in diameter; and are turned by falling water from the weir. From there, they are each connected to a gearbox and then to a generator. Underground cables carry the electricity to the royal residence.

The plant is being developed by SouthEast Power Engineering, Ltd., which took over in 2009 after another company abandoned the plans due to high construction costs. It is expected to generate 1.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 790,000 kilos annually.

A palace spokesperson said, “Windsor Castle will be the primary customer for the electricity generated by the system, with any excess power entering the National Grid. This project will generate enough energy for 300 local households on [the Queen’s] land and one-third of that for Windsor Castle. She hopes to double that amount in future. It is a very shrewd way to save money and carbon. “

David Dechambeau, managing director of Southeast Power Engineering, said he was “over the moon” to have the Queen as a customer. He said he found the Royal Household to be “very keen“ about the project and had received virtually no opposition from local residents.

While he has refused to comment on the Windsors' specific energy usage, he confirmed he has consulted with the Royal Household. “I've been to Buckingham Palace more times than President Obama,” he said.

However, it took two years to get all the permits through the UK’s Environment Agency, which had never before leased property to a private company and needed to be sure the project would not affect navigation, flood control and, wildlife. Weirs were originally built to control water levels for navigation and flood risk purposes but can now take advantage of new technology to provide energy, the EA said.

Dechambeau said he would invite the Queen to cut the ribbon on the project, but had yet to receive an RSVP. “I would be delighted if they could come, but it's not confirmed,” he said.