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21st Century canals: the modern benefits of a historic canal network


They were built for cargo-carrying narrowboats, they form attractive pathways through the countryside for walking and cycling, wildlife flourishes along them and anglers love to visit them, but that’s not all. In the 21st century we are discovering new and innovative uses for the quiet canals of our industrial past.

Canals are becoming increasingly popular as green and vibrant leisure destinations. Somewhere to have a boating holiday, walk the dog and take the family on a day out. They are not, however, not the first thing that springs to mind when asked to consider an alternative source of renewable energy or a high speed digital network. But these are just two of the ways in which our 200-year old canal network is forging inroads into the future.

Green energy supply

It’s particularly apt that these rural oases could be used as conduits to reduce our carbon footprint. One idea is to harness the flow of water down lock-flights to generate power – a notion which, suprisingly, was around in Victorian times as they installed water wheels on the River Weaver.

Another is to use British Waterways’ reservoir sites as locations for wind farms, which could power some 45,000 homes a year.

Water

It’s stating the obvious really, but canals are a good source of water – which is often in scarce supply these days. What’s more, canals are ideal for transporting water – either into a place which wants more water, or away from a place that has too much of it (which could become increasingly important if climate change affects the rate of flooding and storm water). A little-known fact is that half of Bristol’s drinking water is supplied via the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. And there is huge potential for ‘grey’ water, straight from the canal, to be used in industry for cooling and air conditioning. GlaxoSmithKline in West London uses water from the Grand Union Canal for this purpose.

Pipes and cables

To return to the obvious, canals are flat, which makes towpaths ideal for laying down cables and pipes. BSkyB are among the companies taking advantage of this national asset to lay 500 miles of fibre optic cable and create a high speed digital network.

Transport of freight

Not so much innovation as re-creation, the need to reduce our carbon footprint is pushing freight back onto the canals. This slow-moving method of transport will not suit every industry, but is ideal for low-value cargoes and waste – and will be put to good use in the construction of the Olympic Games site along the Bow Back Rivers of East London.

Last updated: 24/02/2009