Norton Rose harnesses power of Thames in green push

1 April 2010 | By Gavriel Hollander

It is understood that the project will generate sufficient electricity to power the lifts at the firm’s 3 More London address.

The office, which is located on the south bank of the Thames next to City Hall and opposite The Tower of London is ideally located to take advantage of the river’s tides. The project will see the firm use the seven metre fluctuation in the the Thames’ water level.

Following research, the stretch of river outside Norton Rose’s offices is one of only a few places that a viable project could be built, another is at Westminster alongside the The House of Commons.

It is estimated that 20 turbines at full capacity would be sufficient to supply enough electricity to supply the Norton Rose office with 10 per cent of its energy requirements. This would be sufficient to power the lifts in the nine-floor building.The power generated from the tidal movement of the river will be stored in batteries that then will be used for the office’s  lifts.

A spokesperson for the firm confirmed the project and said: “The Thames has historically been a conduit for commerce and we’re delighted that we can harness its power for good.

“Obviously we’ve given a great deal of thought to how the river traffic will be affected, along with the fish, and in particular the London eel population.”

The turbines will emit a sonar signal deterring fish and eels, and the blades are specially designed to make sure that Thames wildlife is only slightly bruised if they come into contact with them.

The spokesperson added: “We want people to use our lifts without feeling guilty. We don’t want people getting in the lift worrying about the environment or eels. Eels are important to us.”