FACULTATEA DE MANAGEMENT AGRICOL

NEW ENERGY SOURCES

ANDREI ZAGONI1, CAMELIA-MARIA MĂNESCU1, TEODOR MATEOC1, GHEORGHE SEBASTIAN SÂRB2, NICOLETA MATEOC-SÎRB1

1. University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of , Timisoara – 300635, Calea Aradului 119, Timisoara, , [email protected] 2. University of Oradea, Universitatii 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania

Abstract: Searching for new energy resources, as an alternative to conventional ones, comes as a response to the growing price of conventional fuels, due to the progressive decrease of the existing natural resources.Following up the field research, the authors have reached the conclusion that, within the renewable energy resources, the hydro energy contains the largest weight factor in Romania, due to the fact that it disposes of a high water course hydroenergetical potential, only 50% of the existing potential being used. Therefore, we consider that alongside the modern hydropower plants disposed on the water courses and owned by the large energy producers, Romania must make changes in order to add value to the existing energetical micropotential, through the hydroenergetical establishment of some water courses on the watermill system, with minimum exploitation costs and a maximum efficiency on a long term.

Keywords: water, renewable, energy, resource

INTRODUCTION

The motivation for choosing this research theme is based on the fact that the field of energy from renewable sources is a new, tempting, and also necessary but in the same time insufficiently researched field. Carrying out an analysis in the field of renewable resources of energy in Romania as well as the energy obtained by using water, response to the concerns shown at national level, in order to increase the visibility/transparency of information existing in the field of renewable sources but also to boost the use of these alternative sources of energy. Among the renewable energy sources, there are:  wind energy;  solar energy;  water energy;  hydraulic energy, energy of flowing waters;  tidal energy, energy from the ebb and flow of seas and oceans;  osmotic potential energy;  geothermal energy,energy gained from the depth heat of Earth;  biomass energy: biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas. [6] European Directive of the year 2005, known as phrase "20/20/20" establishes that by the year 2020, European Union must reduce its noxious emissions by 20% and produce 20% of the total energy from renewable sources. Also, the Member States of European Union should gradually blend the traditional fuel used in transport with biofuel, so that, by

94 LUCRĂRI ŞTIINŢIFICE, SERIA I, VOL.XV (1) the year 2010, the biodiesel to represente 5.75% of the diesel fuel from the market, which is then expected to increase the share to 20% by the year 2020.[6] European Union intends to focus its efforts on the field of power energy, heating and cooling, as well as on biofuels. The use of renewable energy sources contributes not only to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases generated by the energy production and consumption, but also to reduce the dependence of the European Union (EU) on imports of fossil fuels. The main goal of the energy policy of the European Commission consists in developing the regeneration process of energy , especially of the energy produced from wind, water, solar energy and biomass. Hydraulic energy represents a form of energy exploited in the past at mills water on the rivers, now being used to produce electricity by using hydraulic turbines. On the watercourses there can be installed hydraulic turbines to produce certain amounts of energy depending on the installation conditions on the site. The owner of a property which is crossed by a watercourse, may receive electricity with an amount corresponding to the installation conditions of turbine (fall, flow).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The hydraulic energy harnesses the power obtained from the natural fall of flowing waters. The conversion of hydraulic energy into electrical energy is not a polluting one, it involves relatively low maintenance costs, there are no problems related to the fuel and it is a long-term solution. The hydraulic energy is that who has penetrated the fastest in the energy balances. Hydroelectric power stations provide the producing of 19% of the electricity worldwide. [5] Water mills are used for more than 2000 years, currently, instead of water mills there have been built modern plants (hydroelectric power stationes) equipped with turbines whose rotors are set in motion by the water current. Almăjului Valley is in Caras-Severin County and is surrounded by mountains: to the north and northwest, Anina Mountains and Semenicului Mountains, south Almaj Mountains and Locvei Mountains in the southwest. [4] Almăjului Valley offers a picturesque mountain image with forests and meadows, with rivers crossing narrow gorges and rocky. Here is also the Rudăria river in a village, which in the past bore the name of the river, on its banks which had its hearth, and which now is called Eftimie Murgu. On the course of this river, Rudăria, there is the largest complex of water mills from southern Europe: Rudăria Mulinologic Park, recently restored under the auspices of "ASTRA" Museum of Sibiu and with the help of the inhabitants with European funds, preserving their original function. [3] On the Rudăria river bank (in Slavic: rudă-ore, reka-river) there are currently 22 water mills, wooden buildings of reduced sizes. Locality Eftimie Murgu is documentary attested in 1241 and the first 8 mills are officially recorded in certain documents dated to 1722, the use of these primary hydraulic systems has been introduced in this area since second and third centuries. In 1874, there were 51 operational mills, but several successive

95 FACULTATEA DE MANAGEMENT AGRICOL floods have reduced their number by half. The villagers are those who maintain water mills, these being practically a part of their lives. Water mills on the river Rudăria are used by villagers to grind, but also as a meeting place. [3] The name of the water mills from Rudariei Valley were established after the names of some local people: the Tunnel Mill, Trăiloanea Mill, Firiz Mill, Roşoanea Mill, Mill Rebellious between Rivers, Prundulea Mill, Popeasca Mill, Maxinoanea Mill, Hămbăroanea Mill etc. The access road to these mills chained throughout the river on about 3 kilometers, on both within the locality (13 mills) and outside of it (9 mills), is represented by one paved driveway leading to a little house of wooden on the river, climbed on a platform. A little above of this house, the river has a step bringing water more powerfully to the mill mechanism.

Fig. 1 Map of Mulinologic Complex Eftimie Murgu (Rudăria) Source: Irina Iamandescu, Presentation sheet, Mulinologic Reservation of Rudaria (Eftimie Murgu, Romania), January 2005

Water mills have the architecture equipped with an horizontal wheel and a vertical axis, being likened the Kaplan system. The construction of these mills is simple: under the mill there is a long gutter that catches the river water and leads it to an horizontal metal wheel with small blades (called " well bucket mill"). The wheel sits on a long horizontal arm (fork), caught by a rod with the tip entered into the floor of the mill house, being held by a handle called "highter". Whirled, he rises or falls the external hydraulic system. Then the rotation of blades using water moves a vertical axis (a spindle) that climbs in the mill itself from the house, where large stones fulfill their role: grind slowly, rhythmically, and separates grains from the basket through sieve, bran powder. Flour is collected, at the end, in an large box. [3] In the village Eftimie Murgu there is a small museum opened, where a mill is dismantled, so that the entire operating mechanism to be visible.

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Fig. 2 Operating mechanism of a water mill Source: Irina Iamandescu, Presentation sheet, Mulinologic Reservation of Rudaria (Eftimie Murgu, Romania), January 2005

Fig. 3 Water Mill on the Valley of Rudaria

The mills are owned by community, each of them are constructed and then operated and maintained in associative system, by several families that even today retain their the quality of grooms (after the turn due to grinding grains during each week). Grinding itself is an operation known and passed from generation to generation, whitin each family user. As the needs of processing (grinding) of grains of the community are much lower than the capacity of the 22 mills (130-140 kg of grain in 24 hours), it tries to adapt the operating system described and the utilixation of rotating mills, which contributes by default to their maintenance. The flour obtained from the water mills has a special taste for the water moved wheels are grinding slowly, as opposed to the electrically driven ones, whose speed is higher. [1]

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Fig. 4 Water Mill on the Valley of Rudaria - grinding of cereals

For mills to operate as well, the river water has been channeled by locals through small changes over the riverbed: a tunnel dug into the rock, a step, a small pier, a wall a reinforcement with wood, a narrow corridor, the stream of water captured when falling thus having enough power to spin the bucket and then to forward the mill wheels movement.

Fig. 5 Channeling the river by creating a step

In the past in the Banat area were about 600 water mills, which disappeared almost irreversible in this landscape, which are currently less than 100 in the following locations: Ilidia, , Bogodinţi, Lupăşnicu Mare, Rudăria, , Gârnic, Caraş-Severin County. In Caras-Severin county, there are whole villages where water mills have disappeared. Besides the fact that these water mills represente an important element of ethnological heritage of the area, they are ecologically pure, does not pollute the environment during their operation and have a minimal impact on human health.

CONCLUSIONS Water mills are used for more than 2000 years, currently, instead of water mills there have been built modern plants (hydroelectric power stationes) equipped with turbines whose rotors are set in motion by the water current. Modern Hydroelectric power stations are placed on water courses, alongside huge dams that provide them high water falls. In the world there are many countries where hydropower represents the main branch in terms of electricity production (eg, African states), there are, however, important

98 LUCRĂRI ŞTIINŢIFICE, SERIA I, VOL.XV (1) countries in terms of energy which stand out through hydroelectric power stations (Canada, Brazil, Norway). The biggest advantage of using energy supplied by water is that it uses inexhaustible resources and do not pollute the atmosphere. Within the renewable energy sources, hydro energy owns the largest share. Due to the fact that Romania possesses a rich hydropower potential of water courses, following more researches shows that only 50% (National Plan for Arrangement of Hydrographic Basins of Romania, the National Administration "Romanian Waters", revised version, February 2013) of this potential is arranged (used). Therefore we consider that in addition to modern hydroelectric power stations located on waterways which are owned by major energy producers, further in Romania there could be taken steps for micropotentialului harnessing of energy through hydropower development of some water courses (on water mills system, of course more advanced technologically). These small hydropower stations can be placed either on mountainous areas, where rivers are clear, or either on low areas, but with large rivers. [2]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. IRINA IAMANDESCU, Presentation sheet, Mulinologic Reservation of Rudaria (Eftimie Murgu, Romania), January 2005, http://drumliber.ro/download/Rezervatia- Mulinologica-Rudaria.pdf 2. National Plan for Arrangement of Hydrographic Basins of Romania, the National Administration "Romanian Waters", revised version, February 2013 3. CLAUDIA MOŞOARCĂ, Water mills from Rudăria - the place where time is grinding,http://www.descopera.ro/descopera-in-romania/9835110-morile-de-apa-de-la- rudaria-locul-unde-se-macina-timpul 4. REMUS IANCU, CRISTINA TURDEAN MULINOLOGIC COMPLEX RUDĂRIA – case study: presentation at the first workshop of industrial archeology, Bucharest, 2001, www.muzeulastra.ro 5. CRISTINA ALPOPI, MARGARETA FLORESCU, The use of renewable energy sources, Chair of Administration and Public Management, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies from Bucharest, http://www.ramp.ase.ro/_data/files/articole/6_04.pdf 6. http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energie_regenerabil%C4%83

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