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. 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.
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:
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
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'.
^ abElectricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN085188105X.
^Pugh, H. V. (1957). "The Generation of Electricity in the London Area". Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. 105 (3): 484–97.
^London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936-7 Vol. 41. London: LCC. pp. 382–94.
^Electricity Commission (1947). Generation of electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 6.
^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
