ELECTRICAL ENERGY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 563, 19 July 1909, Page 7

ELECTRICAL ENERGY.

THE CITY'S NEW PLANT.

WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING. WELLINGTON LEADS;;- : • Tho tramways and olectrio lighting department? of the Wellington City Corpora-, tion already have a much larger capacity than any other municipal electrical systenv in New Zealand. They will bo placed still further in 1 tlio van by tho additions which arc about to ho made t<) tho plant.; ;'' The 750; kilowatt generator which 1 is now boing installed in the tramway power-house on. Jcrvois Quay is, expected to bo in running order in about three weeks'; time. The anxieties of tlio engineer in charge (Mr. P. M'Coll) will then' be considerably relieved, a6j under present conditions, all the gencra- • tors are running at rush times, and 6ven at ;tho easiest.times, when the demand for current reaches 3500; amperes,, only " one of the 300 : k.w: machine is • available' as. a stand-by. If a mishap occurred to any part of tho plant during tho busy hbure, the trams would have to be starved. This position, and tho consequent necessity of increasing tho plant, has been brought about chiefly by the growth of the public demand for electric power. The total units generated during the last financial year, were 5,114,628/ including 203,129. sold to sundry consumers for power purposes. . When the new machine ,is installed, the generating pliant will comprise soven direct current generators—one: of 150 lew., three of 300 k.w!,-'two', of 600 k.w.,' and , one (the now one) of 750 k.w. .■'. ■■'-;...■(."

';_ In these days, of the servant problem, it is held that there is a growing field for-the use.'; of power in domestic operations. The department has imported a number of. electric irons, and has very readily disposed of them.- Ladies who have used: them say that the sequol; of washing . day is very much "lightened. .Perhaps 'the electric kettles and frying-pans, and other household apparatus, as used elsewhere, will next oome: to; Wellington., '' ~.

New Turbine for tho Lighting Station. / The,electric lighting plant, is also to bo increased by a new turbine,: which; iis ', expected daily! l The plant at present installed has a maximum capacity of 1950 k:w.,. and comprises - spyen/ steam engines and alternators, having an aggregate'of 1450.kiW., and orio steam..turbino alternator of 500, k.w. The turbine of, 1500 k.w. will probably tako nearly a month to fit up.' It is an up-to-dato' affair,, and; comes from the shops of A.' R. Parsons and \ Company, Newoastlc-on-Tyne. Owing to the introduction of. the metallic filament lamps, the output• of•current :,for lighting purposes -has' ; not increased to any great extent during tho last .few; months.' but it, is anticipated that the cheapening or light, which is' effected by the new lamps, drill cause the number of : '; consumers:' to groW largely, and "thus the .'department, 'should- bo; compensated, i'Electric light, is now within the reach of',the smallest householder.' '- ■;■..:' ''..'".:'' \'---.'.i ;-'- : . : . ';':/■-''''-.' ■'",'"' ' .;,

The erection of tho Parson's turbine will be greatly facilitated by a ipowerful travelling crano which'has just been installed. ,It ; is oapablo of lifting and carrying: 20 tons,'-and it will be a permanently useful addition to ; the;mechanical'plant. - : ".''■■■ Vv--: : What the Other Cities have Done. ' In. this conncctioii it is of interest to note the stages reached by municipal electrical enterprise in other) New Zealand cities: y. In Auckland tho tramways, as 'is well known, are run by a proprietary company, but r the (Sty Corporation generates electricity at;the destructor. 'The scheme has only been 1 in operation about 18 but the results are' regarded as encouraging, and great: expansion is anticipated. •'The generating sets aro. Browett-Lindley-Westinghousq;:- Three of these are installed, each having }a. 'capacity of 225, kilowata' (total 775 k.w.); and there ;is space for a fourth, which^will bring the total capacity,' up to ■ 1000* kVw. TCJhi'i'slchurcli ;• also ■uses its refuse destructor for- generating electricity ; The generating plant comprises two 100 :k.w. '-.Wcstinghousodynamos and' one 150 k.w. /dynamo-of, another, ;make---total capacity §50; k.w..',: \- wntor'-pbwcr' scheme, utilising the ample'flow.'of the Waimakarin River, lias > been intermittenly: under discussion for several;'ye<irs, but"'soi far' without practical rosult. While Christchurch has been talking, Dunedin has: acted; 'The Otago capital is'tho first': New Zealand city to supply, electricity l generated'' by water-power, and it olaims.to; supply power atthe cheapest rate, known'in Australasia, generated from pno of tho- largest hydro-electric schemes.>in- sthe Southern Hemisphere. The source of i supply is the Waippri River, arid the plant has .been in ''operation?-about 14' months. 'It: is ;held that by its aid a practically unlimited supply of electrical-power for manufacturing and domestic purposed, tramways arid lighting is assurcd.to Duiedin and its suburbs for many years to come.- The present capacity of the plant is : 2ooo.k':w. -V . .-..;■." i,\ : Wellington's Premier Position./ :.^ .It'will' thus'be seen: that the : Wellington City,' Corporation has at the present :time' a much larger electrical plant than-any other, New Zealand- municipality,' the capacity' at the tramway, power-station being 2250. k.w.,. and at the electric lighting station 1950 k.w:', while tho additions now; being made will, bring the total maximum capacity of the two stations up'to 6450'k.w..'.The Dunedin/,system, which, like the' Wellington includes the, municipal tramway's, comes ■ second-.with -'a capacity of 2000 k.w.,'which is less thhri half of Wellington's.present, and less than a third of its immediately, prospective, capacity.' In comparing ■ Wellington with Auckland and. Christchurch, the tramways' (privately owned in the. northern metropolis arid controlled by a; special local body in the City.iofthe Plains) cannot comeinto the reckoning. But, disregarding altogether the: Wellington tramway power-house.(although it largely'assists in street lighting and-is this chief sup- 1 plier;of 'power, to private 1 persons for purposes other than; lighting), • the Wellington municipal lighting plant, with is capacity of 1950 (shortly to be increased to 3450) looks large beside Auckland's 775 k>. and Corist,church's 350 k.w. It should bo added that while Auckland and Christchurch get : their power from their refuse ■, destructors, the power obtained from Wellington's more up-to-date destructor is; chiefly used for sewage pumping—a' big operation which does not require to be provided for in the other-cities. , It is worth: remarking that; the conmara: tively small town of Gore has ah'ydfo-elcctric plant of 623 k.w: capacity, and is increasing it to 750 k:w. As examples \t large privatelyowned installations, mention may bo made of the Auckland Tramways Company's 2125 k w plant, and the Westport-Stockton Coal Com850 k.w. , :