Sara Hill-Nelson spoke to Lawrence Central on Aug 22nd and gave us an update on the progress of the North Powerhouse project that will replace the spillway on the north end of the dam, and will house four additional turbine/generators, for a total capacity addition of 4.6 MW. The addition of the generators will allow Bowersock to approximately triple the energy production from the project.
She even showed pictures of the plans from the 1920’s of the possible expansion to the north bank of the Kaw that almost a century later is now a reality.
During the past 130+ years, the mill has ground grain into flour, produced the first ready-make gingerbread cake mix, hosted a radio station, been a paper mill, made barbed wire, and produced power – both electrical and mechanical. Before electrical power was widely available, leather belts were connected to the waterwheels at Bowersock, and ran either on tall poles or through tunnels to their respective businesses. The famous Eldridge Hotel on 7th and Massachusetts where Lawrence Central has our meetings is said to retain its generators in the basement, where the belts used to be attached.
Sara’s passionate talk about the benefits of hydro-electric power as a renewable energy source. As she pointed out, renewable energy is any source of energy that is constantly being replaced, or at least, a source of energy that will not be depleted in any reasonable time frame. By convention, renewable energy sources are also environmentally friendly; it is Green Power. For example solar energy is a renewable energy, but in a few billion years the sun will consume all of its fuel. However, for all practical purposes, the energy supply from the sun will always be available to us.
The major types of renewable energy are: wind, photovoltaic (solar), solar thermal, geothermal, oceanic, biomass, and hydroelectric.
Hydroelectric power is the kind of green power produced by Bowersock Mills and Power Company. It produces no toxic emmisions, nor does it contribute to global warming or acid rain. In fact, by using hydropower instead of fossil fuels, Bowersock substantially reduces the amount of pollutants in our air.
The pool above the Bowersock dam provides the City of Lawrence with a reliable source of drinking water, even during periods of drought. The area around the Bowersock dam has also become a favorite hunting and nesting area for our national symbol, the bald eagle, during the winter months. This is green power at its best! If your house were powered by hydro power rather than coal you would prevent 7.2 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year. How “green” is Bowersock? While there is some debate over the environmental impacts of hydroelectric power, Bowersock has been designated as a “low-impact” hydropower facility. This means that in comparison to other hydroelectric power plants, Bowersock’s environmental impacts are limited.
Hydropower is the most developed of all renewable energy technologies. Ten-percent of our nation’s (20% of the world’s) electricity demand is supplied by hydropower. That is enough electricity to supply 28 million households, or the equivalent of one-half billion barrels of oil. If this power was produced by coal-fired generating stations, 7.7 million tons of particulates and 296 million tons of carbon dioxide would be added to the atmosphere annually. Yet hydropower is being generated at only 3% of our nation’s 80,000 dams. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) estimates that hydropower generation could be more than doubled by modifying existing dams. Worldwide, hydropower supplies 24% of electricity demand, enough for about one billion people.
They welcome the public for Bowersock tours. It is a great way to learn about renewable energy and the history of Lawrence. Tours are offered on the 3rd Friday and the 4th Saturday of every month beginning at 10:00 AM.
All if you want to read more about The Bowersock Hydropower plant here is a link to their website.
