Norwich Power Station
1881 R. E. Crompton and Co lit the Market Place in Norwich with two arc lights. Later that year the Norwich Fisheries Exhibition was lit with 9 arc lights and 60 incandescent lamps. The lighting system was then expanded across the city, supplied from a generating station behind St. Andrew’s Hall on Elm Hill which consisted of a 20 horsepower (14.9 kW) twin cylinder steam engine driving six Crompton-Burgin dynamos.
1883 The city reverted to using the more economic gas lighting.
1893 Norwich Electrical Supply Company (or the Norwich Electric Light Company) began to supply an electricity service in the city; the Duke Street Generating Station was on the south bank of the River Wensum; it generated 180kW direct current.
1896 Detailed description, with some plans, of Norwich Electric Light Station in Engineering. Designed mainly by Laurence, Scott and Co. 'Six sets of engines. All are of the Willans type, and are triple-compound. Three of these engines are of 100 indicated horse-power each, and each of these engines is connected to two "Norwich" dynamos manufactured by Messrs. Laurence, Scott, and Co. at their works ; these dynamos will work from 110 to 130 volts. The object of having two dynamos to one engine is that only one engine is required for running at the lightest loads. Of the remaining engines three are of 135 indicated horse-power; the dynamos which they drive — one to each engine — are also of the "Norwich" type made by Messrs. Laurence, Scott, and Co., and will work from 220 to 250 volts. A seventh Willans engine, capable of giving 200 horse-power, has been more recently added, and is now running regularly. It is also coupled to a “Norwich” dynamo. .... The boilers are of the Babcock and Wilcox type ; they are four in number, two having been added since the station first began to work. [1]
1897 the plant had a generating capacity of 850 kW
1900 A new engine room and a boiler house were built to house new generators. By 1903 there were 13 machines ranging from 100 to 700 horsepower supplied with steam from Babcock and Wilcox coal-fired boilers.
1902 The supply company was purchased by Norwich Corporation. The electricity undertaking was then known as the Norwich Corporation Electricity Works.
1912 mechanised boiler stokers were introduced and the steam engines began to be replaced with steam turbines of up to 1,000 horsepower (746 kW) driving 500 kW dynamos.
1923 the AC generating plant comprised 1 × 3 MW and 1 × 5 MW turbo generators providing a 400 V and 230 V AC supply. The DC plant comprised 1 × 0.5 MW, 1 × 1 MW and 1 × 2 MW turbo generators plus 1 × 0.75 reciprocating generator providing a 220 V and 440 V DC supply.
By the mid-1920s the Duke Street site had reached the size limit for further expansion, the Corporation resolved to build a new power station at Thorpe on the southern outskirts of the city.
The Duke Street site was redeveloped as stores and workshops for the company.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [[1] Wikipedia