Outage - (29/1)

An update on the outage we have had earlier this week which at the same time allowed us to perform some remedial work on the limit switches that control the sluice gate.

In the early hours of Monday morning the generator disconnected from the National Grid, it does this as a precaution when the voltage on the grid doe snot match the voltage we produce.

Unfortunately due to an issue we had with the sluice gate limit switches caused Archie to 'free wheel' which in turn caused a drive belt between the gearbox and generator to deteriorate.

It was all hands to the pumps whilst we replaced the drive belt and resolved the limit switch issues with excellent team work from LSP, Mann Power consulting and our friends at WRE.

We have also had a lot of visitors to the site, Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly arranged by h2OPE as part of their advice and information sessions held in Manchester for other groups thinking of going down the same the same route as Torrs Hydro.

The Co-op Group also visited with energy managers from Co-operatives around the country for whom they purchase power and help with strategies to reduce energy use and carbon footprint.

Archie is now running smoothly again.

Pictures of the Torrs Hydro Salmon - (26/1)

Seven Leaping Salmon - (24/1)

For those that missed tonight's Manchester Evening News (full page spread on page 3) here is the web version and extra pictures of the seven leaping salmon.

We will post some pictures of the past few days on the blog shortly.

Torrs Hydro in the press - (23/1)

Look out for pictures in tomorrows Manchester Evening News and next weeks Stockport Express of Simon in action over teh last few days - so far we have a total of 4 salmon that have been created with another one on it way.

The artist will be on site until 2:00pm tomorrow (Saturday) - so come and see an artist in action.

Also some more footage from todays work

Fish, fish and more fish - (23/1)

What a fantastic transformation of a Sycamore tree alongside Torrs Hydro - try and get yourself down to site on Saturday as the engine house will be manned all day so if you ask nicely you may get a brief tour of the inside !

Take a look at Kens video to see work in progress for the tree which is scheduled to be completed on Saturday.

100,000 kWh and counting - (22/1)

On Monday evening we smashed through the 100,000 kWh barrier - we know its only numbers, but it is a significant milestone for everyone concerned.

By the way, 100,000 kWh is enough electricity to keep a light bulb running for nearly 200 years !

Update - (21/1)

We now have a excellent power display installed at Torrs Hydro courtesy of Radius UK which gives a real time display of current output.

Reminder that for the rest of this week and Saturday we have a resident tree sculptor at Torrs Hydro creating leaping fish with a cherry picker, axes, chain saws and other exciting things !

Landscaping - (15/1)

The first 10 days of the year progress was slowed with the landscaping due to 'permafrost' in the Torrs and several days of snow, but in the past week the pace has picked up again and we now have a magnificent new stone wall at the tail race which is supporting and preserving the existing wall of Torr Mill.

Next steps (literally) are to build a walkway alongside the screw with steps leading down to the bottom, next week also sees the arrival of another picnic bench and work to tidy up the approach road from Rock Tavern down towards the weir.

The safety fences are now being built and are now planned to be installed the second week in February.

Next Tuesday an external power display will be installed so visitors can see a live feed of kW being produced.

Updates - (12/01)

After the Winter drought and the much welcomed thaw the rivers Sett and Goyt have risen to expected levels for this time of year and this afternoon 'Archie' was producing 48 kW per hour.

Further rain expected in the morning should see this rise to be 50-51 kW by lunch time tomorrow following some work last week in removing silt form the tail race end of the screw.

The landscaping project is back in full swing despite recent weather conditions and the new wall should be completed by the end of this week (its currently hidden behind tarpaulins to protect the mortar from the elements !

Icicles - (09/01)

Well the thaw has started and as expected the river levels have risen slightly so we are back in production as of yesterday (Thursday morning) - proper rain is expected at the end of the weekend.

The picture above shows an icicle that had grown to about 4 ft in circumference and nearly three foot long before melting away today to nothing.

Theres a drought ! - (06/12)

Who would have thought that at the beginning of January we would have to temporarily stop producing power due to lack of water !

Despite lots of snow in the last couple of days there has been no rain since before Christmas Day.

I'm sure once the snow and ice begin to melt in the next 24 hours we will be up and running very soon after.

Date for your diaries - (04/01)

From 21 to 24 January Simon O'Rourke from treecarving.co.uk will be onsite at Torrs Hydro New Mills creating two leaping fish from a tree !

Simon will be using a cherry picker, chain saws, chisels and lots of elbow grease to create this masterpiece.

The location of the tree will allow for great views as the tree trunks are gradually transformed over the four days - so please feel free to come along and see an artist in action.

This project has been funded by the Environment Agency and agreed in partnership between Torrs Hydro New Mills and New Mills Town Council.