Deb Chachra, in her book “How Infrastructure works,” tells the story of “Electric Mountain” – a fascinating power station in Wales. A few notes –
(1) “Electric Mountain” is the alternative name of the Dinorwig power station in Eryri, Wales. It is a “peaker plant” – used to supply electricity during sudden peaks. It takes all of 15 seconds to activate Dinorwig. While peaker plants usually use coal/dirty electricity, Dinorwig serves as a shining example on elegant solutions to peaker plants.
(2) Dinorwig was built in the 1960s and used to be activated after major TV events (E.g., sporting events). Predictably, the British population used to switch off their television and switch on their power hungry electric kettle – a phenomenon called “TV pickup.”
(3) The power station contains two lakes at a difference of 500 meters. A vertical shaft connects these lakes. Once the operator begins draining out the lake on top, the artificial waterfall from the top lake can generate electricity for six hours.
(4) Then, when the demand is low and there’s surplus capacity in the grid, the whole process is reversed and water is transported right back up. It essentially functions like a battery. Ingenious.
(5) The design and thoughtfulness is incredibly elegant too. Dinorwig blends into the landscape. And there were many thoughtful touches – it was built in a town where mining was on the decline. The fish that were originally in the lake were thoughtfully relocated.
This article – authored by Deb Chachra – in the Guardian has a lot more context on why she is so enamored by Dinorwig.
After learning more about it, it is hard not to join the Dinorwig fan club.
