Barnes power station

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.

Barnes power station
CountryEngland
LocationBarnes London
Coordinates51°28′13″N 00°15′29″W
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1899
Commission date1901
Decommission date1959
Owner(s)Barnes Urban District
(1901–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1959)
Operator(s)As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling sourceTidal river water
Power generation
Units operational2 × 1.5 MW, 1 × 3.5 MW
Make and modelEnglish Electric 1.5 MW and 3.5 MW
Nameplate capacity6.5 MW
Annual net output4.354 GWh (1924)

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. This 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).[1] The power station was built in Mortlake High Street (51°28'13"N 0°15'29"W) and first supplied electricity in May 1901.[2]

Equipment specification

The original plant at power station comprised five reciprocating engines driven by steam from coal-fired boilers:[3]

  • 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.[3]

By 1954 the plant comprised:[4]

  • 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:[4]
    • 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.[4]

Electricity was supplied to customers at 210 and 420 volts DC.[3]

Operations

Operational data for the early years of operation was as follows:[5][6][3][7]

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:[3]

Barnes power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units 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
Load
Maximum load kW 1,475 1,750 2,000
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)[8] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926.[9] 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.[10]

Operating data 1937 and 1946

Barnes power station operating data for 1937 and 1946 is given below:[11][12]

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).[13] 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).[9] 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:[4]

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:

Closure

Barnes power station was decommissioned on 1959.[14] The equipment was removed and the buildings were redeveloped, and are called 'The Old Power Station'.

See also

References
  1. "Local Acts of Parliament 1898". Legislation.gov.uk. 1898. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. London County Council (1905). London Statistics 1904-5 vol. XV. London: LCC.
  3. Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23 HMSO 1925. London: HMSO. pp. 6–9, 254–259.
  4. Garrett, Frederick C. (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-30, A-112.
  5. London County Council (1915). London Statistics 1913-14 vol. XXIV. London: LCC. pp. 54–51.
  6. London County Council (1922). London Statistics 1920-21 Vol. XXVII. London: LCC. pp. 287–293.
  7. London County Council (1926). London Statistics 1924-5 Vol. 30. London: LCC. pp. 300–03.
  8. "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  9. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  10. Pugh, H. V. (1957). "The Generation of Electricity in the London Area". Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. 105 (3/): 484–97.
  11. London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936-7 Vol. 41. London: LCC. pp. 382–94.
  12. Electricity Commission (1947). Generation of electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 6.
  13. "Electricity Act 1947". Legislation.gov.uk. 1948. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  14. 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
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