Following our conversion of part of Mill Two to the poshest laundry in Tuscany we are going to create a small museum based around the two 19th century millstones at the end of that building, to be able to show and tell our guests something of the history of Il Grande Mulino di Posara.
But I was struck, as we reviewed the space, that we are not only displaying the state-of-the-art milling methods of the 19th century, where our millstones were driven by new water-turbine technology, but also showing off the very latest 21st century power-capturing technology, based on the hidden array of photovoltaic panels which make us self-sufficient in electricity.
The short video above, by Gina Shearston, shows first the 19th century millstones, then pans round to reveal the ‘magic’ boxes that collect and distribute all the sun-powered electricity we make. When we need it, the electricity we make from the sun is used directly at the Watermill, notably to power the air-conditioning units we have in every bedroom and all our public rooms, including the studio. Below them are a series of batteries, capable of storing more than 13 kWh of electricity, which are topped up during the hours of daylight for use when the sun goes down. From now on we won’t be buying any of our electricity from the National Grid. In fact, we’ll be selling our surplus to them! How Cool and Green is that?
So far, our photovoltaic system has produced more than 54,000 kilowatt hours of ‘green’ electricity, and what’s more, we have prevented 38 tonnes of carbon production from conventional power stations.
An ancient and modern legacy of which to be proud.