Water, being a vital resource for all living beings, is also an important source of energy. Hydropower supplies 6% of the world's energy needs. Moving water is highly energized. A hand held into a fast flowing stream can feel the pressure of water trying to push the hand along.
Overshot Water Wheel
Before the discovery of steam engines, water-wheels were the primary source of mechanical power.
The basic design of the water-wheel consists of a large wheel with a number of blades at the periphery. The wheel is kept in the path of the flowing water in such a way that the water falls on one of the blades. Each of the blades fixed around the wheel is pushed by the moving water to make the wheel turn.
Waterwheels were used for the following purposes:
The force of a fast flowing river is very strong. Great skill is needed to control a canoe in such conditions.
