The Power Station

A historical example of small river power plants in Norway from the early 1900s

The power station is an example of the many small river power plants built across Norway around the 1900s. The power station is located just above the Town and north of the Residential Area in the open-air museum. It originally stood at Anderkvern in Moelv and was put into operation in 1899 to supply electric power to Moelven Brug in Ringsaker.

Water from a channel in the Moelva River was directed through a pipe down to a turbine in the power station. The water drop was 12.5 meters. The water flow caused the turbine wheel to rotate. In the early years, the rotational energy was mechanically utilized, with transfer via wire and shaft to the machines in the factory. A dynamo provided power for lighting.

The transition from mechanical to electrical operation of the machines took place in 1914 when the power station was equipped with a generator, a machine that converted the energy from the turbine into electricity. At the same time, the factory was modernized with wiring and electric motors.

At Maihaugen, the power station has been restored to the way it was when it was decommissioned in the 1980s. Here, you can see the machines that ran for many years. The turbine is from 1914, and the generator is likely from 1938. On the control panel next to it, there are instruments to monitor operations and to start and stop the system. The sound of the machines and the smell of oil give an authentic experience of what it might have been like when the plant was running.

In the power station, you can also learn more about how the waterfalls in Mesnaelva in Lillehammer were utilized for electricity production starting in 1894.