In the Carpathian Mountains of southwestern Ukraine, there are 28,200 rivers, mostly small. The state-owned company Ukrhydroenergo is planning a comprehensive refurbishment and development of hydropower capacity, including the modernization of existing hydropower plants and the construction of new, smaller plants with a low environmental impact.

Wind turbines and dams are prime targets for artillery and drones. Not so for hydropower, according to our study, when it's deployed as a flotilla of tens of thousands of floating waterwheels distributed over many kilometers along waterways, driving Pelton turbines on the riverbank via penstocks. These Pelton turbines have a capacity of approximately 500 kWh, as they are small enough to be easily concealed. Thus, many flotillas with many Pelton turbines ultimately generate a combined output of many megawatts. Floating waterwheels cost less than the projectiles they are designed to destroy. Even if some of the floating waterwheels or an entire flotilla are sunk, electricity will still be generated.

The state-owned company Ukrhydroenergo is planning a comprehensive refurbishment and development of hydropower capacity in Ukraine, including the modernization of existing hydropower plants and the construction of new, smaller plants with low environmental impact.

According to our study, floating waterwheels deliver not just low environmental impact, but zero environmental impact.

Based on a study by the University of Dresden, Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Technical Hydromechanics, we describe the possibility of enriching water in flowing waters with oxygen while simultaneously generating electricity.

https://izw.baw.de/publikationen/dresdner-wasserbauliche-mitteilungen/0/Mueller_Wasserdruckrad%20für%20Fallhöhen%20unter%201%20m.pdf
When waterwheel blades dip into the water, they draw in air and thus oxygen. This is not part of the study, but a welcome side effect of energy generation through waterwheels, which is the focus of the study. It offers an elegant solution for converting the low rotational speed of waterwheels into high speeds for generators. Instead of using expensive and heavy gearboxes mechanically, this can be done hydraulically at a lower cost. However, not with oil hydraulics as used throughout mechanical engineering, but with clear water hydraulics.

In mechanical engineering, when forces are transmitted by pressurizing cylinders—whether in construction machinery, agricultural machinery, or presses of all kinds—this is done using hydraulic oil. We are the exception, however, and since the turn of the millennium have offered log splitters and forging presses for knife makers in which only water circulates in a closed loop. These are not exotic machines, but everyday appliances. Since the entire mechanical engineering sector, unlike us, transmits forces exclusively using oil hydraulics, the aforementioned study on power transmission using water by the University of Dresden was ignored. On this occasion, we address turbine manufacturers: It is utter nonsense to regulate turbines with hydraulic oil, especially since water is readily available. Pelton turbines, in particular, have sufficient pressure to pressurize the cylinders. One cannot expect engineers to have any understanding of clear water hydraulics, as it is not taught anywhere, and even Wikipedia only spreads misinformation. We will dedicate a separate chapter to this topic.

Simply because such systems were too expensive. The same design flaw was always made. To increase the low rotational speed of the waterwheels to the high rotational speeds of the generators, gearboxes with up to a thousandfold gear ratio were installed. Aside from the energy loss, such gearboxes cost a lot of money and are very heavy, which in turn necessitates large and expensive floating structures like pontoons or catamarans. The fact that the aforementioned study from the University of Dresden offered a solution was simply overlooked.

 A waterwheel remains a waterwheel, whether on the riverbank or, as we propose, in the middle of the flowing water. If the weight of the generators and gears is eliminated and replaced by lightweight press cylinders, then instead of floats, the waterwheels can be built to float on their own. This wouldn't be a new concept, as a floating millwheel is already described in the Swiss Mill Wheel Calendar of 1857.

www.muehlenkalender.ch/1857-colladons-schwimmende-wasserraeder.html

However, it would be anchored to the riverbank by a stable steel structure and joints. These joints would allow the millwheel to rise and fall depending on the water level. A stable steel structure would be necessary to absorb the torque, translate it mechanically via a series of gears, and transmit it to the bank.

However, this would require a stable steel structure and be anchored to the riverbank by means of joints. Electricity generation using inflatable floating waterwheels has already been experimented with, but only with a generator driven by chain gears.

www.wasser-biennale.org/data_all/2012/Luftgeformtes_Wasserrad_Projektbericht.pdf

It's important to understand that two floating waterwheels drive piston pumps in tandem. If two are anchored in a frame, their torques cancel each other out, eliminating the need for additional anchoring to the riverbank with a steel structure. Because piston pumps are small and lightweight, even at high pressures, a tandem pump with at least two waterwheels floats without the need for a pontoon or catamaran.

If global oil consumption continues at its current rate, then according to AI, currently exploited reserves will be exhausted. Africa is still in the early stages of developing mobility, and the demand for oil could still increase. Several years from now, when some oil wells begin to dry up and extraction becomes more difficult and expensive, prices will rise steadily. Using clear water hydraulics in floating waterwheels would be a first step towards replacing water with oil when hydraulic oil becomes unaffordable.

For uranium, rare earth elements, copper, chromium, manganese, and so on, there will likely be a similar upward price spiral. Iron and bauxite for aluminum are still plentiful. Even if bauxite isn't the problem for aluminum, the electricity required for its production will be.

Wind turbines have a lifespan of 20 years, assuming they don't burn down, collapse, or lose their blades before then. Proponents of wind energy don't explain where all these raw materials are supposed to come from periodically after 20 years. And they don't say how sustainable the clearing of old-growth forests for balsa wood as filler for the blades actually is.

When wind turbines and solar panels reach the end of their lifespan, a lot of hazardous waste remains, whereas this isn't the case with electricity generation using floating waterwheels.

Waterwheels can be made from local wood. Larch is preferred, as it lasts for hundreds of years in water. Pelton turbines run for over 100 years. Therefore, our hydroelectric power plants are truly unique compared to all other renewable energy technologies.

Restoration of Flowing Waters
Valleys are popular locations for hydropower, simply because dams can be built there, creating a gradient to the turbines. But the ecosystems in these areas are particularly sensitive. As a result, valleys have been overdeveloped for hydropower. Fish ladders are supposed to allow fish migration and ensure the exchange of genes. However, they don't, or only partially, achieve this; you can find plenty of articles about it online. Furthermore, fish still get caught in the turbines and are shredded.

According to the EU, restoration is the order of the day. This necessitates the demolition of the dams. Prematurely, because eventually sediment deposits will render the dam ineffective, or the dam will simply be too old, as concrete loses its strength after 100 years.

According to Focus Online, renaturalization has already begun, and the article headlines:

To protect ecosystems: “Letting rivers die slowly”: Hundreds of old dams are disappearing in Europe

www.focus.de/wissen/lassen-fluss-langsam-sterben-hunderte-alte-staudaemme-in-europa-verschwinden_3cebfd4e-cc63-4977-acff-714b048a4ecb.html

And further:

To protect ecosystems

Hundreds of dams are being demolished: EU aims for 25,000 kilometers of free-flowing rivers by 2030

www.focus.de/wissen/hunderte-staudaemme-werden-abgerissen-eu-will-25-000-kilometer-frei-fliessende-fluesse-bis-2030_3cebfd4e-cc63-4977-acff-714b048a4ecb.html

Dams not only serve as water reservoirs but also allow sand to settle. Sand in the water acts like a sandblaster, eroding the steel of the turbine blades. When debris like sand settles in the reservoir, it eventually fills up and has to be dredged.

Concrete lasts a maximum of 100 years. This is evident in the bridges that have to be demolished and rebuilt. The effort required to demolish and replace an old dam is enormous.

Dams represent a significant intervention in the ecosystem. Genetic exchange is disrupted.

Fish ladders are a makeshift solution that works poorly at best. Fish still enter the turbines and are shredded.

Concrete lasts a maximum of 100 years. This is evident in the bridges that have to be demolished and rebuilt. The dramatic environmental crime of hydropower is described by science journalist Dr. Whatson in a YouTube video:

The Uncomfortable Truth About Hydropower

www.youtube.com/watch

Hydropower is a renewable energy source, but has serious ecological and social disadvantages. These include the destruction of natural river habitats, negative effects on fish migration due to structural barriers, the interruption of bedload transport as well as high land use and greenhouse gas emissions (methane) in reservoirs

Here are the main disadvantages in detail:

Ecological impacts and habitat destruction

Barrier effect: Dams and weirs break the natural continuity of rivers. Hiking trails are blocked for fish and other aquatic life. [1, 2, 3]

Risk of injury: Fish swimming downstream often suffer fatal injuries from the turbines. [1]

Changed flow behavior: The construction of reservoirs reduces the flow speed. The water heats up more quickly and potentially toxic algae forms. [1, 2]

Interventions in the landscape and water balance

River straightening and residual water: Water is often diverted into tunnels, causing entire sections of the river to dry up or only have a minimal amount of residual water. [1, 2]

Siltation: Rivers transport sediments. These are deposited above the dam, while increased soil erosion occurs below the dam. [1, 2]

Land use: The construction of reservoirs requires an enormous amount of space. This often leads to flooding of valleys, forests and agricultural areas. [1]

Social and climate concerns

Relocations: Large dam projects often require the relocation of thousands of people.

Climate-damaging emissions: In reservoirs (especially in tropical regions), organic material in the water decomposes due to a lack of oxygen. This produces large amounts of methane, which is a more harmful greenhouse gas than CO₂. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

For further information on weighing up benefits and ecological risks, see the report on hydropower: advantages and problems - WWF Switzerland. [1, 2]

Would you like to know how the disadvantages of hydropower compare directly to other renewable energies (such as solar or wind power)?

STARFORT's floating waterwheels and hydrokinetic river turbines are considered extremely environmentally friendly because, compared to conventional hydropower plants, they have virtually no negative impact on the river ecosystem. [1, 2]

They eliminate the typical disadvantages of hydropower through a fundamentally different design principle. The environmental benefits are divided into the following key areas: [1, 2]

1. No barrier effect (fish-friendliness)

Free fish migration: Because the floating waterwheels are placed on the water's surface (often as a catamaran design), they do not require dams or weirs. Fish and other river inhabitants can pass the system unhindered. [1, 2, 3]

Minimal risk of injury: Unlike the fast-rotating, sharp-edged turbines of conventional power plants, the waterwheels rotate extremely slowly. If debris or a fish flows through the wheel, the drums, according to the manufacturer, simply roll over it without causing any damage. Fish mortality in such systems is virtually 0%. [1, 2]

2. Use of clear water hydraulics (zero oil risk)

No environmental toxins: A major ecological advantage of the STARFORT system is the elimination of conventional oil hydraulics. Instead, the waterwheels drive underwater piston pumps that operate with pure, clear water. [1, 2]

Water protection: Should a leak or defect occur in the pressure hoses, only normal water will escape. Contamination of the river with toxic hydraulic oils or lubricants is technically impossible. [1, 3]

3. Preservation of river morphology

Unimpeded sediment transport: Since the river is not dammed, the natural transport of sand, gravel, and silt is completely preserved. There is neither siltation upstream nor erosion damage downstream of the system.

Constant oxygen and temperature balance: Since no artificial reservoirs are created, the river's flow velocity remains high. The water does not heat up excessively, and there is no formation of climate-damaging methane gas from decaying biomass.

4. Minimal impact on the landscape

No land sealing: No valleys are flooded, and no areas of land are paved over. Power generation (via a Pelton turbine located on the bank, driven by the water pumped by the water wheel) requires very little space.

Flexibility: The floating units can be easily pulled ashore or lifted for maintenance during extreme flooding, ice jams, or other maintenance purposes without causing lasting damage to the environment. [, 2]

Are there any ecological limitations?

Although the technology is considered a "worry-free" solution for river ecology, there are a few minor aspects to consider:

Anchoring: The floating platforms must be securely anchored in the riverbed or on the bank. This targeted intervention is minimal.

Bird protection & shipping: Depending on the river size, the buoys/wheels must be positioned so that they do not disturb local waterfowl or endanger shipping or recreational traffic (kayaks).

They are used in mountainous regions with high head, meaning high water pressure.

Pelton turbines are the most efficient power generators, with the simplest and therefore most cost-effective design. They can last for over 100 years.

The difference when the water comes from pumps instead of flowing from the mountainside.

Depending on the available water volume and head, Pelton turbines are designed and built individually, which is expensive. If the water comes from pumps or waterwheels, the pressure and flow rate can be precisely adjusted to the Pelton turbine's highest efficiency. Therefore, Pelton turbines for hydroelectric power plants can be mass-produced according to our concept, which significantly reduces costs.

A special feature of our floating waterwheels is that the desired water pressure is achieved despite varying flow conditions. The anchoring, as shown in the image of the pump's piston rod, is infinitely adjustable at the crank.