Barnes power station
{{short description|20th-century British power station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Barnes power station
| image =
| image_caption =
| coordinates = {{Coord|51|28|13|N|00|15|29|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| country = England
| location = Barnes, London
| status = Decommissioned
| construction_began = 1899
| commissioned = 1901
| decommissioned = 1959
| cost =
| owner = Barnes Urban District
(1901–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1959)
| operator = As owner
| employees =
| th_fuel_primary = Coal
| th_technology = Steam turbines
| ps_cooling_source = Tidal river water
| ps_units_operational = 2 × 1.5 MW, 1 × 3.5 MW
| ps_units_manu_model = English Electric 1.5 MW and 3.5 MW
| ps_electrical_capacity = 6.5 MW
| ps_electrical_cap_fac =
| ps_annual_generation = 4.354 GWh (1924)
}}
Barnes power station supplied electricity to the urban district of Barnes in south west London from 1901 to 1959. It was owned and operated by Barnes District Council until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was decommissioned in 1959 and the building has been reused.
History
In 1898 Barnes Urban District Council applied for a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the district. The {{visible anchor|Barnes Electric Lighting Order 1898}} was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 4) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. xl).{{Cite web|date=1898|title=Local Acts of Parliament 1898|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/changes/chron-tables/local/111|access-date=30 August 2020|website=Legislation.gov.uk}} The power station was built in Mortlake High Street ({{coord|51|28|13|N|0|15|29|W}}) and first supplied electricity in May 1901.{{Cite book|last=London County Council|title=London Statistics 1904-5 vol. XV|publisher=LCC|year=1905|location=London}}
Equipment specification
The original plant at power station comprised five reciprocating engines driven by steam from coal-fired boilers:{{Cite book|last=Electricity Commission|title=Electricity Supply – 1920–23 HMSO 1925|publisher=HMSO|year=1925|location=London|pages=6–9, 254–259}}
- 2 × 150 kW
- 2 × 300 kW
- 1 × 600 kW
These gave a total direct current generating capacity of 1,500 kW.
Following the First World War a 1,500 kW turbo-alternator was installed; this generated an alternating current supply.
By 1954 the plant comprised:{{Cite book|last=Garrett|first=Frederick C.|title=Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56|publisher=Electrical Press|year=1959|location=London|pages=A-30, A-112}}
- Boilers:
- 2 × Babcock and Wilcox 20,000 lb/h coal-fired boilers operating at 200 psi and 630 °F (2.5 kg/s, 13.8 bar and 332 °C),
- 1 × Stirling 40,000 lb/h coal-fired boiler operating at 210 psi and 680 °F (5.04 kg/s, 14.5 bar and 360 °C)
- Turbo-alternators:
- 2 × English Electric 1.5 MW turbo-alternators, running at 3,000 rpm
- 1 × English Electric 3.5 MW turbo-alternators, running at 3,000 rpm
Cooling water was taken from the River Thames.
Electricity was supplied to customers at 210 and 420 volts DC.
Operations
Operational data for the early years of operation was as follows:{{Cite book|last=London County Council|title=London Statistics 1913-14 vol. XXIV|publisher=LCC|year=1915|location=London|pages=54–51}}{{Cite book|last=London County Council|title=London Statistics 1920-21 Vol. XXVII|publisher=LCC|year=1922|location=London|pages=287–293}}{{Cite book|last=London County Council|title=London Statistics 1924-5 Vol. 30|publisher=LCC|year=1926|location=London|pages=300–03}}
| class="wikitable"
|+Barnes power station operational data 1912–34 !Year !No. of Consumers !No. of Public lamps !Connection on system, kW !Electricity sold, MWh !Load factor, per cent |
| 1912
|2,886 |584 |2,873 |1,312.9 |19.5 |
| 1919
|3,764 |602 |4,454 |2,633.8 |28.8 |
| 1920
|3,900 |607 |4,693 |2,063.3 |21.0 |
| 1921
| | |6,000 |2,771.6 |24.4 |
| 1922
| | |7,314 |3,354.3 |24.4 |
| 1923
| | |7,824 |3,754.6 |24.9 |
| 1924
|4,879 |678 |8,000 |4,354.2 |22.0 |
The data demonstrates the growth in number of consumers, lamps and the amount of current sold.
=Operating data 1921–23=
The operating data for the period 1921–23 is as follows:
| class="wikitable"
|+Barnes power station operating data 1921–23 ! rowspan="2" |Electricity Use ! rowspan="2" |Units ! colspan="3" |Year |
| 1921
!1922 !1923 |
|---|
| Lighting and domestic use
|MWh |1,175 |1,320 |1,574 |
| Public lighting use
|MWh |317 |324 |335 |
| Traction
|MWh |– |– |– |
| Power use
|MWh |1,279 |1,710 |1,845 |
| Total use
|MWh |2,772 |3,354 |3,755 |
| colspan="5" |Load |
| Maximum load
|kW |1,475 |1,750 |2,000 |
| colspan="5" |Financial |
| Revenue from sales of current
|£ |– |42,240 |39,934 |
| Surplus of revenue over expenses
|£ |– |18,314 |18,297 |
The data demonstrates the yearly growth of demand and use of electricity.
Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16-17 Geo. 5 c. 51){{Cite web|title=Electricity (Supply) Act 1926|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/16-17/51/contents/enacted|access-date=30 August 2020|website=legislation.gov.uk}} the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926.{{Cite book|last=Electricity Council|title=Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology|publisher=Electricity Council|year=1987|isbn=085188105X|location=London|pages=45, 60, 69, 73}} The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region. Barnes power station was electrically connected to Hammersmith power station by three underground 6.6 kV circuits.{{Cite journal|last=Pugh|first=H. V.|date=1957|title=The Generation of Electricity in the London Area|journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers|volume=105 |issue=3|pages=484–97}}
=Operating data 1937 and 1946=
Barnes power station operating data for 1937 and 1946 is given below:{{Cite book|last=London County Council|title=London Statistics 1936-7 Vol. 41|publisher=LCC|year=1939|location=London|pages=382–94}}{{Cite book|last=Electricity Commission|title=Generation of electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946|publisher=HMSO|year=1947|location=London|pages=6}}
| class="wikitable"
|+Barnes power station operating data, 1937 and 1946 !Year !Load factor per cent !Max output load, MW !Electricity supplied, MWh !Total connections on system, kW !Customers |
| 1937
|35.2 |5,976 |16,233.8 purchased from the CEB, none generated |28,278 |11,085 |
| 1946
|– |5,360 |2,858.4 |– |– |
The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10-11 Geo. 6 c. 54).{{Cite web|date=1948|title=Electricity Act 1947|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/10-11/54/contents/enacted|access-date=30 August 2020|website=Legislation.gov.uk}} The Barnes electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Barnes power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Barnes electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).
=Operating data 1954–58=
Operating data for the period 1954–58 is shown in the table:
| class="wikitable"
|+Barnes power station operating data, 1954–58 !Year !Running hours !Maximum output capacity, MW !Electricity supplied, GWh !Thermal efficiency per cent |
| 1954
|419 |6 |1,395 |10.00 |
| 1955
|346 |6 |960 |8.43 |
| 1956
|471 |6 |1,118 |9.98 |
| 1957
|113 |6 |319 |5.40 |
| 1958
|200 |6 |700 |7.86 |
The data demonstrates the low utilization of the plant during its final years. The amount of electricity, in MWh, sent out by Barnes power station throughout its operational life is:
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Closure
Barnes power station was decommissioned on 1959.Barnes power station is mentioned in Garcke's Manual vol. 56 (1958-9) but does not appear in vol. 57 (1959-60) nor in statistical data published by the CEGB after 1958 The equipment was removed and the buildings were redeveloped, and are called 'The Old Power Station'.