Yoghurt pots could spark cheap energy

9:15am Friday 7th October 2005

A SPARK of inventive genius from a Burneside electrician could lead to a revolution in the way power is supplied "on stream" to thousands of homes.

Ian Gilmartin's experimental waterwheel is the first to harness the hydro-electric potential of shallow running water.

Made partly from "surplus yoghurt pot plastic", the invention is capable of being used in river and stream depths of only a few inches, making it a viable form of electricity generation at up to 100,000 sites across the country.

Already patented, Mr Gilmartin's Beck Mickle Hydro project is being tested for its commercial potential by engineers at Lancaster University.

He said: "The idea is to build a machine that will eventually retail for £1,000, which can make one kilowatt of electricity enough to power a house."

However, he predicts a series of them linked on the same river course could create enough electricity to power a small town or large hospital.

As well as generating electricity, the device could also be used for air conditioning and providing drinking water.

A prototype turbine is to be installed in a stream at St Catherine's, in Windermere already proving an innovative location thanks to the county's first public building made of straw bales.

Mr Gilmartin, who has worked on his invention for seven years, said: "We could be looking at significant changes to power production.

"We want to generate energy from water between 20cm and two metres deep. No one else has attempted anything like this in such shallow water."

He believes the benefits are potentially far reaching and his faith is shared by officials who run the Lake District National Park Authority's Sustainable Development Fund.

Mr Gilmartin's invention impressed them so much, a £15,000 grant was awarded to help pay for the Beck Mickle Hydro's development.

Sustainable development assistant Michaela Blackburn said the project was an "excellent example of the fund's aims to support schemes that bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the national park."