Water power

Similar to using solar energy, the use of water power dates back to the time of smallholders: China, Mesopotamia and Egypt had advanced irrigation systems based on water-driven paddle wheels. Today we are inclined to underestimate the knowledge of our predecessors, yet looking through today’s eyes we see that using simple devices they were able to build surprisingly well-functioning systems. Later, water mills arrived, which had a multitude of uses (from grain milling and aiding the bellows in the blacksmith’s workshop, through wood splitting, all the way to pumping water from the mines). These devices were ultimately forced out of operation by the steam engines.

The discovery of the turbine allowed new perspectives to surface: a generator attached to a turbine powered by high-speed rivers having a steep drop provided a long-term solution for the production of electricity. In time, the first hydroelectric power plants showed up, but as fossil fuel-powered plants gained in popularity, the smaller hydroelectric plants were closed, only the larger plants survived. As the renewable sources come to the forefront, though, the miniature hydroelectric plants are becoming popular again, while the older plants are being refurbished, new facilities are also being built.

Even though water travels in a cycle in nature, its energy can only be harnessed in limited ways: either we allow the paddle to hang into the water (use if kinetic energy) or the water is guided to the paddle (use of potential energy). Naturally the methods are continually being refined (the arrival of the turbine), and the efficiency continues to increase.

Despite this, hydroelectric power will likely not become a primary source of energy in Hungary, since the attributes of our rivers don’t make them suitable for producing this type of electricity.