Bear Swamp Generating Station or Jack Cockwell Station is a

pumped-storage hydroelectric Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential ...

underground power station An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods. One or mor ...

that straddles the

Deerfield River Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield River was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its ...

Rowe Rowe may refer to: Places * Rowe, Massachusetts, U.S. *Rowe, New Mexico, U.S. *Rowes Bay, Queensland, a suburb of Townsville Australia *Rowe, now Rówek, Poland Other *Rowe (surname) *Rowe (musician), solo project of Becky Louise Filip, former me ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It is one of many hydroelectric facilities along the river, giving that waterway the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "the hardest working river in the county". The

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

covers , storing about 1.7 billion gallons at an elevation of above sea level, higher than the lower reservoir. To move the huge volumes of water (8,800 cubic feet per second uphill and 10,760 cf/s downhill) in both directions, Bear Swamp uses reversible

water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, t ...

s of the

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

type. Construction started in 1968 and was completed in 1974. New England Power Company developed Bear Swamp with the intention of absorbing and storing some of the excess electrical power from the

Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station ( decommissioned) was a nuclear power plant in Rowe, Massachusetts, that operated from 1960 to 1992. The 185-megawatt electric pressurized-water plant, located on the Deerfield River in the town of Rowe in weste ...

which was located nearby (almost adjacent) on the Deerfield River, and was then in operation at the time Bear Swamp was constructed. Yankee Rowe was later decommissioned in 1991, however Bear Swamp continues operate by absorbing electrical power from the grid and later returning electrical power to the grid. Although the efficiency of that is very low, the power is stored when demand is off peak, when supply is in excess and demand is low resulting in that power being low priced. Because of the low efficiency, only a small fraction of that power is later returned to the grid, but at a much higher price during peak load periods when

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

consumers place the heaviest demand on the system. The station can produce about of power for up to 6 hours during the day. The station can respond from zero to full capacity in under 20 minutes. An underground visitor' center provides an automated

slide show A slide show (slideshow) is a presentation of a series of still images ( slides) on a projection screen or electronic display device, typically in a prearranged sequence. The changes may be automatic and at regular intervals or they may be manu ...

and other information about the history of the project and its site. More than 60,000 guests visit this location each year.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20061020124209/http://www.berkshireweb.com/sports/comp/bearswamp.html {{authority control Energy infrastructure completed in 1974 Reservoirs in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Massachusetts Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in the United States Hydroelectric power plants in Massachusetts Lakes of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Underground power stations 1974 establishments in Massachusetts Emera

See also

References

External links