Owners of small hydroelectric plants can thank Archimedes of Syracuse.
It is to the Greek scientist that they owe the invention of the endless screw.
He intended it for the Egyptians, to help them irrigate their land.
Nearly two millennia later, it is used to produce electricity.
Roger d'Orglandes, who lives in Heudreville-sur-Eure, installed in a 16th century manor planted between two branches of the Eure, turned to this simple and effective technological choice.
A croquet shot from his house, which is listed as a Historic Monument, the river forms a small pond held back by a dam.
At its end, a building was built under the supervision of the architects of the Buildings of France.
It hides a mini hydroelectric power station.
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Two Archimedean screws 4 meters in diameter, connected to two generators, brew the water there in a hubbub muffled by the walls before returning it to its course, two meters below.
They can produce up to 220 kilowatts of electricity…
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