Possibility of using water mills for electric energy production - the example of the river Plitvica at the location of Luka Ludbreška

Porastom svjesnosti o ograničenoj količini neobnovljivih izvora energije i njihovom štetnom utjecaju na okoliš, obnovljivi izvori energije postaju sve privlačniji i potrebniji. Najznačajniji oblik obnovljive energije predstavlja hidroenergija, a posljednjih godina raste interes za korištenje energetskog potencijala malih vodotoka. U ovom radu opisane su vodenice kao tradicijska postrojenja za iskorištavanje energije vodotoka te potencijal njihovog korištenja u svrhu proizvodnju električne energije. Vodenička kola kao vrsta turbine pokazale su se ekološki prihvatljivije i isplativije od tipičnih impulsnih i reakcijskih turbina. Jedna zapuštena vodenica pronađena je na rijeci Plitvici u blizini Ludbrega pa se za tu lokaciju izvršio proračun snage jedne takve turbine. Prije samog proračuna potrebno je bilo provesti hidrološka mjerenja, a opis i rezultati mjerenja također su prikazani u radu.With an increase in awareness of the limited amount of non-renewable energy sources and their harmful impact on the environment, renewables are becoming more attractive and necessary. The most significant form of renewable energy is hydropower, and in recent years there has been growing interest in using the energy potential of small water flow. This paper describes water plants as traditionally lined up for harnessing the energy of water flows and the potential of their using for the purpose of electricity generation. Water wheels as a type of turbine proved to be more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than typical action and reaction turbines. One neglected water mill was found on the Plitvica River near Ludbreg, so the power calculation of one such turbine was carried out for the site. Before the calculation, it was necessary to carry out hydrological measurements, and the description of measurement and measurement results are also presented in this paper