A day in the life of a hydro boy

Hydroelectric power schemes were set up in Scotland in the early 1900's. David Fleetwood looks at what life was like for the people who made a living this way.

Hydroelectric power exploits the water resources of some of Scotland's wildest and most rugged locations. Schemes have been in production since the early 20th century, requiring construction and maintenance in the most hostile and unforgiving conditions.

Today, the consequence of the relative inaccessibility of many schemes across Scotland is the widespread automation of schemes and a marked fall in the number of people working on site, yet, from around 1910 until the late 1980s, many men worked on the construction and development of schemes throughout Scotland, leaving behind them a legacy that is still in operation today and which provides the renewable energy to light and heat our homes and offices. The Hydro Boys, as they were known, worked hard and in tough conditions to provide Scotland with a worldclass renewable energy resource.

Scotland occupies a unique position in the UK for the exploitation of hydroelectric power generation, with steep relief and locally very high rainfall. This combination of large amounts of water which can be made to flow down steep slopes to generators is ideal for producing power from water. Potential for this was recognised early on by the monks of Fort Augustus Abbey, who developed a turbine as early as 1891. Scotland quickly went on to develop a number of internationally important schemes, with those built by the British Aluminium Company at Kinlochleven and Lochaber leading the world in terms of output.

The development of public supply...

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• By : David Fleetwood
• In : Interview
• Issue : 45
• Page : 50
• Words : 1,545