Olidan Power Station ( sv, Olidans kraftverk) is a
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
station located in
Trollhättan
Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is loc ...
,
Sweden. First opened in 1910, it was the first large scale attempt at generating
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 describ ...
from water in Sweden. The construction of Olidan led to the founding of the ''Kungliga Vattenfallsstyrelsen'' (Royal Waterfall Board), which later became
Vattenfall.
While the first four
turbine
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...
s were put into service in 1910, construction continued, and another four were put into operation by 1914. Due to increasing demand, as well as increasing capacity due to the regulation of
Göta älv
The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...
, another five were then built. By 1921, Olidan carried a total of 13 turbines. 10 of these are still functioning, while the other three were cannibalized for parts. However, it is currently rare for more than three to be generating at the one time. Each turbine has a capacity of 10 MW.
When Olidan were completed in 1924, planning began for
Hojum Power Station
Hojum Power Station (alt. ''Håjum Power Station'') is the second hydroelectric power station in Trollhättan, the first one being the older Olidan Power Station. While the first two turbines were taken into service in 1938, a third one was built ...
, which came into service in 1938.
Images
File:Olidans kraftverk, Trollhättan.jpg, Olidan Power Station
File:Olideverket.jpg, Control room in 1940s
File:Olidan_maskinhall.JPG, Engine Hall
File:Olidan_turbiner.JPG, Turbines
External links
Vattenfall
{{coord, 58.2742, N, 12.2722, E, source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Hydroelectric power stations in Sweden
Vattenfall