The determination of energy production potential of traditional water mills in the district of Kalkandere in Turkey

Abstract

A county in the province of Rize in Turkey, Kalkandere is topographically hilly and sloping terrain. Therefore, the stream is available in large amounts. In addition, Rize is the province of Turkey's highest rainfall and the average rainfall in region is 712.5 kilograms per square meter. River water flows in region are large, and flow velocity is high. In Rize, there are a lot of traditional water mills for grinding grain because of abundant rainfall and rugged terrain. Many of them are inactive, and their functionality is lost. Recently, the traditional water mills have come to the fore due to the increasing need for green and renewable energy. There are approximately 2000 water mills in the region of Eastern Black Sea (between province of Carsibasi in Trabzon and province of Kemalpaşa in Artvin). In this study, 23 traditional water mills in Kalkandere have been discussed. The water flow rate, the channel cross-sectional area and height of drop were measured. In addition, the technical characteristics of watermill have been investigated. Energy production levels have been determined to use the collected data. Then, the energy potential of water mills has been calculated and the results are expressed in tables and graphs. As a result of this study, electric generation capacity of traditional water mill has been proven, and the applicability of all the water mills has been discussed. © Sila Science.