328
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka and L. Szcz˛ ech
development of civilization, the technical solutions used had advanced, and water
wheels were used on a large scale. Paddle wheels use the power of flowing water to
create torque, which was used to drive machines in industrial activities [3]. The wide
use of water wheels is: in grain mills, fulling mills, paper mills, oil mills, tanneries and
sawmills [4–6]. In medieval Europe, the development process of various water wheel
systems enabling the operation of mills and other technical devices began to develop
around the eleventh century [7]. The beginnings of water milling on the Polish lands
took place in the twelfth century, and in the thirteenth century, they became quite
common [8]. The range and pace of use of water mills are evidenced by their number.
The water mills were well received, because already in the twelfth century they were
present in almost every village in England [9]. The greatest development of milling
in Poland occurred in the sixteenth century [4]. It was only from the nineteenth
century that water wheels began to be replaced by newly invented water turbines.
These, in turn, began to be used to drive generators in power plants, and propulsion of
individual power devices was taken over by thermal (steam and combustion) engines
and electric motors.
Due to water energy potential, it is the main source of “green” energy on a global
scale. In Poland, however, there are no local conditions to build large installations
compared to other regions of Europe or the world. However, many watercourses have
sufficient potential to be used to generate energy in small hydropower plants (SHP).
They are an ideal way to stimulate development on a small scale and have little impact
on the natural environment. With the cascade system of watercourse construction,
small hydropower plants use the energy potential of the entire watercourse, which
can be a source of electricity for several dozen to several hundred households.
This chapter focuses on the role played by hydropower in Poland in domestic
electricity production in recent years. It covers the characteristics of the largest
hydropower plants (HP) in terms of parametric and semantic. The chapter contains
a brief historical overview of the development of hydropower in Poland, its energy
potential and the level of its utilization. The statistics used in the yearbooks of the
Central Statistical Office [10] and data on selected hydroelectric plants, which originate from websites or were made available by energy utilities, were used for the
characterization. On the basis of strategic government documents, plans related to
the development of hydropower for the coming years have been presented.
17.2 Energy Potential of Rivers
The distribution of hydropower in the world is uneven and related to the occurrence
of water resources. In principle, the power P that can be obtained in a hydropower
plant depends on the flow rate of water Q and the height of the water head H. It can
be expressed by the formula:
P = 9.81 · Q · H · η e
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka and L. Szcz˛ ech
development of civilization, the technical solutions used had advanced, and water
wheels were used on a large scale. Paddle wheels use the power of flowing water to
create torque, which was used to drive machines in industrial activities [3]. The wide
use of water wheels is: in grain mills, fulling mills, paper mills, oil mills, tanneries and
sawmills [4–6]. In medieval Europe, the development process of various water wheel
systems enabling the operation of mills and other technical devices began to develop
around the eleventh century [7]. The beginnings of water milling on the Polish lands
took place in the twelfth century, and in the thirteenth century, they became quite
common [8]. The range and pace of use of water mills are evidenced by their number.
The water mills were well received, because already in the twelfth century they were
present in almost every village in England [9]. The greatest development of milling
in Poland occurred in the sixteenth century [4]. It was only from the nineteenth
century that water wheels began to be replaced by newly invented water turbines.
These, in turn, began to be used to drive generators in power plants, and propulsion of
individual power devices was taken over by thermal (steam and combustion) engines
and electric motors.
Due to water energy potential, it is the main source of “green” energy on a global
scale. In Poland, however, there are no local conditions to build large installations
compared to other regions of Europe or the world. However, many watercourses have
sufficient potential to be used to generate energy in small hydropower plants (SHP).
They are an ideal way to stimulate development on a small scale and have little impact
on the natural environment. With the cascade system of watercourse construction,
small hydropower plants use the energy potential of the entire watercourse, which
can be a source of electricity for several dozen to several hundred households.
This chapter focuses on the role played by hydropower in Poland in domestic
electricity production in recent years. It covers the characteristics of the largest
hydropower plants (HP) in terms of parametric and semantic. The chapter contains
a brief historical overview of the development of hydropower in Poland, its energy
potential and the level of its utilization. The statistics used in the yearbooks of the
Central Statistical Office [10] and data on selected hydroelectric plants, which originate from websites or were made available by energy utilities, were used for the
characterization. On the basis of strategic government documents, plans related to
the development of hydropower for the coming years have been presented.
17.2 Energy Potential of Rivers
The distribution of hydropower in the world is uneven and related to the occurrence
of water resources. In principle, the power P that can be obtained in a hydropower
plant depends on the flow rate of water Q and the height of the water head H. It can
be expressed by the formula:
P = 9.81 · Q · H · η e