Local Portal
Did you know that the North East was one of the first areas in the world to exploit coal? The River Tyne became the major river for exporting coal from the North to London. This activity lead to the rise of the steel making, engineering and shipbuilding industries and ultimately the birth of the railways. To find out more visit The North East England History Pages.
In 1842 William George Armstrong constructed a Hydro Electric generator. At Cragside in Northumberland, the country home of William George Armstrong, water from one of the estate's lakes was used to drive a Siemens dynamo in what was probably the world's first hydroelectric power station in 1870. Thus making the house the first in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power.
In 1880 Joseph Swan gave the world's first large-scale public exhibition of electric lamps at Newcastle. Swan's demonstration proved to be a success and at Benwell in the western suburbs of Newcastle he established the world's first electric light bulb factory. Later Swan went on to light up Mosley Street in Newcastle City Centre that became the first street in the world to be lit by electric light.
In 1884 Sir Charles Algernon Parsons developed the steam turbine for the generation of electricity. The Parsons turbine is still being used today in power stations supplying heat, light and electricity to homes and industries throughout the world.
Our region is still up there with the best of them when it comes to energy!
Are you interested in learning about renewable energy and finding out how it could be used within your school? If so then why don’t you become a ‘bright spark’ and visit the REST website?
Alternatively, want to find out more facts and figures about energy in the North East? Why don’t you visit some of our Research Points for information for course work and projects?
The Comprehensive site about the North East. This portal provides information, resources and links relating to the energy sector in North East England, and is a vital resource for policy makers, the energy sector, industry, teachers, students, community groups and even anyone just simply interested in the global energy situation and how it affects the North East
Want to enter your ideas into a competition with the chance to win prizes for your school? Want to see how renewable energy can be used at your school? Then visit the REST website. Here you can discover how much energy your school uses, you can then find out how to reduce the amount of energy the school uses. The website will help you learn about the different renewable energy technologies and look at where you could use them within your school. Both students and teachers are encouraged to take part in this exercise and your hard work will be rewarded in a competition planned for 2006.
Government Office for the North East is responsible for delivering national government policies in relation to environmental, rural and energy issues within the region. From this web site you can access the Energy White Paper and other regional documents related to energy policy.
One NorthEast is the Regional Development Agency for the region.
One NorthEast is responsible for the preparation and implementation the Regional Economic Strategy which sets out how the North East is going to deliver greater and sustainable prosperity to all of the people of the region over the period to 2016.
The North East Assembly is preparing the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). This document will outline the planning policy for the region and includes information on energy and planning. You can access the Regional Renewable Energy Strategy from this web site for more facts and figures about energy in the North East.
There are many people looking at how we can use energy differently and how new technologies can be used to provide us with electricity and heat in the future.
A lot of work is being done in the North East looking at the research and development of new and exciting energy generation technologies. Below are some of the region’s ‘bright sparks’ who are working on potential breakthroughs in energy…
Durham University are developing a high-performance solar powered car. Last year it visited secondary schools around the UK to promote science and engineering. To find out more about this work download the pdf.
This is an interesting project looking at how we might ‘power ahead’ in the future. Hydrogen can be used to create energy and because of the chemical industry the Tees Valley has a lot of it around! This project was set up to develop ideas and technology and take it from the drawing board to the marketplace.
NaREC is a Centre of Excellence based at Blyth, Northumberland. NaREC supports the regions’ universities and new and existing businesses in taking forward new technologies.
Need a challenge….or do you need a case study for geography?
Want to see what other schools in the North East have been up to?
Can your school learn from what they have done and go one step better…?
Cassop School was the first school in the UK to have its own grid connected wind turbine. It also has recently been fitted with a boiler which burns locally produced wood pellets and gives the school heating and hot water from a renewable resource.
Catchgate School generates some of its own electricity using a Gazelle wind turbine which has been built within the school playing field. Catchgate school and also has a system which collects rainwater from the roof of the school to use for toilet flushing.
The Kielder First School gets its heating from a network of pipes which are connected to several other buildings . The heat is sent round the network from a boiler. The boiler burns wood which has been grown locally in Kielder Forest and that has been chipped into similar sized pieces.
Groundwork South Tyneside is based at The Eco Centre in Hebburn and specialises in renewable energy and environmental education. Their building was constructed from recycled or sustainable materials and includes several renewable energy technologies.
Earth Balance is an ecologically sensitive development and will tell you how to use recyclable/ reusable and biodegradable material and how you can create habitats for a number of species. The site provides practical demonstrations of various aspects of sustainable development including: renewable energy systems to illustrate solar energy, wind turbines and hydroelectric power; eco-buildings and organic farming. This website will give you contact details.
Nature’s World is a thriving visitor’s attraction and educational facility based in Tees Valley. The centre promotes the use of renewable energy and recycling and other sustainable activities.
To find out more about renewable energy installations in the North East visit the to see what is in your area.