Despite all the achievements of mankind in the field of energy, on the planet, a huge number of people still live in non-electrified settlements. However, the search for a solution to the problem continues, and German scientists were one step closer to this goal. They have developed an autonomous hydroelectric power plant that is capable of providing light to one settlement.
To date, the International Energy Agency provides data according to which one and a half billion people around the planet are not provided with electricity. And about one in five of them live next to rivers. Therefore, the extraction of electricity by using this particular resource seems to be the most expedient.
One of the options for creating hydroelectric power plants in the area where stationary hydroelectric power plants cannot be located was the project of the German engineer Andreas Zelseimayer. The essence of its development is the construction of a mobile hydroelectric power station capable of providing energy to a small settlement. At the same time, the author of the concept has already determined that the most relevant will be the use of his brainchild in rural areas.
The project, which has the working title "Rotor", is being developed with the support of the Technical University of Munich. The design of an autonomous power plant is quite simple: the main working element is the Darrieus rotor, which is characterized by a high speed coefficient at low flow rates. On the water, the unit will be held by an inflatable rubber chamber, in the center of which there is a vertical axis of a three-bladed turbine wheel. And the generated rotational energy is transmitted to a specially designed generator.
An experimental Rotor prototype has already been successfully tested in remote areas of the Amazon in South America. Therefore, the concept was given the green light: to date, three working prototypes of the hydroelectric power plant have been built. Among the advantages of the "Rotor" one can single out the relative simplicity of the structure, its durability and, at the same time, low cost price. In addition, the German mobile hydroelectric power plant does not require special installation and maintenance skills.
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