Some old fashioned 'Hydro' power wasted!! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: GlennSprigg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2021, 12:32:24 pm
content: Today, the 'missus' drove me to the Wellington Dam, another 60-70 kms South of Bunbury, Western Australia, for NO other reasonthat the power was off at home, after some dick-head crashed into a local power pole... "No computer... Internet... O.M.G. !!!"(It really is surprising how much we rely on power for not only the obvious, but for entertainment... Going to be off for up to 10 hours...)At the bottom of this Dam, there is an Outlet, that is blasting24 hrs a day all year round, unlike some dams that have limited timed/moderated'Over-Spills'. I couldn't help thinking that SURELY there could have been a relatively simpleElectrical Turbineattached, that could have fed atleast a hundred or 2 hundred homes in the numerous square-miles around this country area!!... or fed back into the 'Grid' as per homes these days!!!Anyway... somewhat removed from all that, the local Townships/Shires/Governments SINCE then, had paid 1.6 Million Dollars for numerous Murals tobe painted throughout the local townships. Today, this Dam looks like this!!... with huge murals painted on it, by one guy...It was/(is!) a sight to behold, but I could not help remembering when I worked in Tasmania, and the Massive dams, and underground power-stations,where they had no option except for Hydro power!! Funnily enough, we might 'Think' of 'Hydro' as 'Free', but the logistics and complex infrastructureof it all, resulted in REAL costs typical of most generic Power creation technologies. 'Their' limit was just getting 'Fuel' there!!

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2021, 02:23:32 pm
content: It would have beenreallyclever if the artist had painted the mural so the water discharge appeared to be a male urinating!

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2021, 08:33:08 am
content: Yeah plan/hope to get there someday with our lad in Perth whom was there just 2 weeks ago for a short holiday with his family.Welly dam is about the only place in WA where you can catch a trout and the lad got one trolling in the shallows however it was just to small to keep. Pleased he was too as the dam was near full whereas the last time he was there some months back it was a 100yd walk to the water from normal levels.It does have a small hydro generation capability of just 2 MW which I remembered when researching it a few years back when we were to visit one Xmas but the lads new camper didn't arrive in time.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Dam_Hydro_Power_Station

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 20, 2021, 09:13:34 am
content: Quote from: AlbertL on September 19, 2021, 02:23:32 pmI'm guessing that was probably thought of and probably even joked about at the design stage, but not carried out as it's not "PC enough".

author: GlennSprigg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2021, 12:09:00 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on September 20, 2021, 08:33:08 amThanks... I did not know that!! That comes from being originally a 'South-Aussie', as well as too 'crippled' now to manage to get morethan 50 feet from the car, to read more signs!!! hahaha...