THE INNOVATORS
The History of Hydropower Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd.
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onsistency and commitment are the hallmarks of long-term success in any industry, and hydropower is no exception. The long lifespan of hydropower facilities requires both producers and consumers of turbines or other hydropower components to plan for a relationship that can be measured in decades, or even centuries. Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd (Gilkes) is a hydropower manufacturing company in the United Kingdom that has prospered under that formula and continues to do so in its second century of business. Along with a perennial commitment to service and quality that allows its customers and owners all over the world to prosper, Gilkes provides turbines to the hydropower industry and pumping products to world-renowned blue-chip engine manufacturers. Darren Wager, sales director of Gilkes’ North American operations, has practiced this philosophy during his 20 years in the hydropower industry. Mr. Wager spoke with Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, about Gilkes’s rich history, the turbines and pumps it produces, and how its long-term vision has fostered its success and longevity. Kris Polly: What can you tell us about Gilkes’s history and products?
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Hydropower supplies 100 percent of the power to the city of Sitka, Alaska. In 2010, the city awarded Gilkes the contract to replace and expand its hydropower capacity. As part of the project, Gilkes installed three 7.140-megawatt Francis G150 reaction turbines.
machinery company in northwestern England and purchased the rights to a vortex turbine shortly thereafter. We soon realized we could power some of the farm machinery using the running water coming downstream from the hills, and the hydropower business grew from there.
Our current product makeup is evenly split between turbine and pump products. We also have an offshoot company focused on making investments in, and also solely developing, hydropower projects. Our products range from 50 kilowatts to 20 megawatts per single turbine IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GILBERT GILKES & GORDON LTD.
Darren Wager: Gilkes will have been in business for 165 years this year, and we have been supplying hydro turbines since 1856. We are still family owned and are likely one of the oldest hydropower companies still in existence that has not been bought out by a larger corporate entity. We have sold hydropower equipment to nearly 40 percent of the world and have turbines on all seven continents, including Antarctica. The company started out as a farm
