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Current status of the traditional watermills of the Himalayan region and the need of technical improvements for increasing their energy efficiency

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  • Vashisht, A.K.

Abstract

Traditional watermills of the Himalayan region are centuries old water-power driven small-scale industry which is serving mountain inhabitants till date. But, day by day it is becoming tough for this eco-friendly technology to keep pace with modern technologies; hence its future is dubious now. Various organizations throughout the world are trying to rejuvenate and re-popularize this environment-friendly technology for multipurpose use. However, instead of improving its existing design, stress is being given to increase the adoptability of new-design watermill. In spite of all efforts, the new-design watermill has not shown any sharp impact on its adoptability rate. Certainly, there are issues which are not considered while implementing line of action. Before commencing the study, thorough discussions on the issues affecting the watermills’ existence in the region were made with the remotely residing watermill owners. Complete study is divided into two parts. In the first part, the issues that are deciding the fate of watermills’ existence in the region are discussed. Keeping all discussed-issues in mind, design of various components of an in-operation watermill is reviewed and modifications are proposed for increasing its efficiency. For the purpose, analytical expressions for evaluating watermill efficiency are also derived.

Suggested Citation

  • Vashisht, A.K., 2012. "Current status of the traditional watermills of the Himalayan region and the need of technical improvements for increasing their energy efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 307-315.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:98:y:2012:i:c:p:307-315
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.03.042
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vermeylen, Saskia, 2010. "Resource rights and the evolution of renewable energy technologies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2399-2405.
    2. Pujol, Toni & Solà, Jordi & Montoro, Lino & Pelegrí, Marc, 2010. "Hydraulic performance of an ancient Spanish watermill," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 387-396.
    3. Paish, Oliver, 2002. "Small hydro power: technology and current status," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 537-556, December.
    4. Sharma, Ramesh C. & Bisht, Yashpal & Sharma, Rekha & Singh, Deepak, 2008. "Gharats (watermills): Indigenous device for sustainable development of renewable hydro-energy in Uttrakhand Himalayas," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 2199-2206.
    5. Rojas-Sola, José Ignacio & López-García, Rafael, 2007. "Engineering graphics and watermills: Ancient technology in Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 2019-2033.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anupam Bhatt & Dipika Rana & Brij Lal, 2021. "Gharat: an environment friendly livelihood source for the natives of western Himalaya, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 18471-18487, December.
    2. Pujol, T. & Vashisht, A.K. & Ricart, J. & Culubret, D. & Velayos, J., 2015. "Hydraulic efficiency of horizontal waterwheels: Laboratory data and CFD study for upgrading a western Himalayan watermill," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 576-586.
    3. Quaranta, E. & Revelli, R., 2016. "Optimization of breastshot water wheels performance using different inflow configurations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 243-251.
    4. Chauhan, Anurag & Saini, R.P., 2015. "Renewable energy based off-grid rural electrification in Uttarakhand state of India: Technology options, modelling method, barriers and recommendations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 662-681.

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