Water, a Versatile Source of Energy
2 min read
Since ancient times, water has been used as a source of energy, in particular in the form of watermills used to grind grain or machinery. This video shows how this natural force continues to be harnessed today to produce thanks to dams and ocean currents.
Water, a Versatile Source of Energy
Whilst water has always been indispensable for life, it was not until 100 B.C. that man discovered the means of making it an energy source.
This is when the first water mills appeared to grind corn using the power of the flow of water.
Having discovered how to profitably use water in its liquid form, man came on to invent means to produce energy from steam.
At the end of the 17th Century, the steam engine chalked up its first successes, opening the way to all sorts of improvements, amongst them, the celebrated steamboats.
It's the beginning of the development of “machines”, which work by steam and the alternating “up and down” of pistons.
In the 20th Century, the already ancient principle of mills producing energy from moving water was developed on a much large scale by intervening in the movement of the water. Dams were introduced.
This principle of energy production from the movement of water evolved during the 20th Century and at the beginning of the 21st Century, notably with the development of tidal engine factories and projects for underwater mills.
Water, at the origin of life, is without doubt still in the early stages of its exploitation as energy.
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