The Online Journal on Power and Energy Engineering (OJPEE)

Vol. (1) No. (2)

Traditional Water Wheels as a Renewable

Rural Energy
G. Akhyar Ibrahim1, C. H. Che Haron1 and C. Husna Azhari1
1

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Bangi Darul Ehsan, Selangor, 43600, Malaysia

Abstract- Renewable and sustainable energy is

increasingly gaining interest in current research circles
due to the debates on renewable energy resources. It is
essential for scientists and researchers to search for
solutions in renewable energy resources, with effective
technologies, and low cost in operation and maintenance.
Hydro resources can be considered a potential renewable
energy resource. The traditional water wheel with simple
construction coupled with a basic concept of technology
can be utilised as a renewable and sustainable rural
energy system. This paper discusses the case of the water
wheel as a renewable energy system employed in Padang,
Indonesia. The Padang water wheel is constructed from
hardwood material with a diameter of 300 cm and width
of 40 cm. It is built on a river using water flow to generate
the movement of the wheel. The water wheel application
in the area showed that it is suitable to be utilised to
elevate and distribute water to rice fields located at a
higher level than the water level of the river. The water
wheel capacity is about 100 120 liters/min. It could
continuously irrigate 5 ha. of the rice fields. One of the
advantages of this water wheel type is to function as a
green technology concept promising no negative effect on
the environment. The traditional water wheel has also a
big economic impact on the rural economy, increasing the
productivity of the rice fields. The people of Padang live in
a water landscape encompassing the water wheel as an
ubiquitous part of their lives, hence they relate to it and
the technology of fabrication as well as the utilisation,
making it an amenable and effective technology, finding
relevance in the modern world.
Keywords: Traditional water wheel, sustainable and
renewable energy, rural area, economic impact.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Hydro resource is one of the most potential energy resources

among the other interesting resources such as solar cell,
geothermal, fossil and hydrogen energy systems. Hydro
resources can be considered as a renewable and sustainable rural
energy system because it is obtainable in the free environment
mainly on a water landscape [1]. Hydropower on a small-scale
is one of the most cost-effective energy technologies to be
Reference Number: W09-0014

considered for rural energy systems in less developed countries.

It is also the main prospect for future hydro development in
many countries including Europe and Asia. Small hydro
technology (in terms of the water wheel) is extremely robust
(systems can last for 50 years or more with little maintenance)
and is also one of the most environmentally benign energy
technologies available [1,5]. In historical background,
hydropower started with the hardwood water wheel. Water
wheels of various types had been in use in many parts of Asia
for some 2,000 years, mostly for milling grain as well as
elevating and distributing the water to rice fields. By the time of
the Industrial Revolution, water wheel technology had been
improved to a fine art, with efficiencies approaching 70% being
achieved in the many tens of thousands of water wheels in use.
Enhanced engineering skills combined with the need of
developing compact and higher speed devices in generating
electricity, led to the development of modern-day turbines
[2,6,7].
In Padang, Indonesia, water wheels (PWW) are the most
popular in terms of traditional rural energy systems due to the
low cost of construction, and operation, low maintenance, and
the availability of materials. Two major materials for water
wheel found in Padang, Indonesia are hardwood and bamboo.
Actually, many traditional water wheels had been applied to
help peoples agricultural activities in rural area. One of the
oldest water wheels found by Raffles in Padang at 1718 was
constructed from bamboo and was used to irrigate water to rice
fields. The PWW is mainly constructed from bamboo and
hardwood due to the presence of natural resources as well as
limited electrical energy conditions to generate pumps [4]. The
indigenous use of natural energy resources in Padang has been
acculturated as long as two-centuries ago [3].
Hydro-turbines or water wheels convert water pressure into
mechanical shaft power, which can be used to elevate water or
to drive an electricity generator. The power obtainable is
proportional to the product of pressure head and volume of flow
rate. The flow of water from the channel/injector enters to blade
with high velocity, then continuously rotates the wheel and
elevates the water simultaneously.
II. INVESTIGATED METHODS AND MATERIALS
The water wheels studied were selected from two areas in
the Padang Coastal Region (Palupuak and Durian Taruang );
one in the coastal region and the other in the mountainous
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area, Aia Angek, Bukittinggi. The PWW were selected by the

Department Officials of the Principality of Padang and they
provided the informants who supplied the background of the
local knowledge. The informants were interviewed on their
indigenous knowledge of fabrication of the WW. The
researchers went on location, measured the WW and took
detailed photographs, which were then rendered into sketches.
An investigation of the cultural landscape was also
undertaken to see the perspective of the PWW within its
cultural context.
Most materials for the water wheels come from hardwood
and bamboo base, which is from the environmental forest.
Now, the construction of water wheels is assembled from
steel to strengthen and making them more durable but it
raised costs in the construction and operation. However, using
wood and bamboo in the making of water wheels would
reduce the cost of operation and maintenance. Tables 1 and 2
list the materials used and specifications of the PWW. It
functioned to elevate water from a lower place to a higher one,
then to distribute water to rice fields (Table 1). When used
(Figure. 1) to mill rice grain, the PWW is called a water mill.
Table (1): Materials and specifications of the PWW to
elevate and distribute water to rice fields
Materials
Specifications
Wheel
Hardwood
Wheel diameter 300 cm
Water
Hardwood
Wheel width
40 cm
chamber
Bearing
Steel (used)
Wheel thickness 25 cm
Blade
Hardwood
Shaft diameter
20 cm
Shaft
Hardwood
Blade numbers
30
Tunnel and Zinc (used)
Chamber
30
piping
numbers
Blade angle
30
Flow
water 30
angle
Table (2): Materials and specifications of water wheel for
milling
Materials
Specifications
Wheel
Hardwood
Wheel
150 cm
diameter
Water
Hardwood
Wheel width
35 cm
chamber
Bearing
Steel (used)
Wheel
20 cm
thickness
Blade
Hardwood
Shaft
30 cm
diameter
Shaft
Hardwood
Blade
25
numbers
Blade angle
30
Flow
water 30
angle

Reference Number: W09-0014

Vol. (1) No. (2)

III. MECHANISM OF THE WATER WHEEL

The PWW is an undershot water wheel type where the
water flows to blades at the under side of the wheel (Figures.
1 and 2). The advantage of the undershot water wheel is that
it is a simple design and can be operated on a small river with
low cutting speeds. The water impact on the blades caused the
runners or wheels to rotate and thus develop mechanical
energy. When the wheels rotate, the chamber elevates water
from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir reaching as high
as 3 m. After that from the higher reservoir, the water is
distributed to rice fields using a piping installation system,
which is constructed from bamboo. The water capacity
elevated depends on the geometry of the water wheel, water
availability, size of chamber and the height from the lower to
the higher reservoir.

Shaft
Wheel

Figure (1): Schematics of the PWW used to elevate and

distribute water to rice fields.

Figure (2): Water wheel constructed from hardwood used to

elevate water to a 3- meter height.

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Vol. (1) No. (2)

the Padang Region consists of seven pounders (Figure. 5).

Usually, the pounders are made from hard and heavy wood.
According to the informants, the water-mill with seven
pounders could produce 600 kg of rice powder in a day. This
is equated to the capacity of the WM. The capacity can be
increased by increasing the number of pounders. An increase
in the speed of rotation can also increase the powder
production capacity.

Figure (3): Water mill constructed from hardwood with a

diameter of 75 cm.
IV. WATER WHEEL CAPACITY
The water wheel elevates water from a lower to a higher
reservoir using chambers on the inside of the wheel. The
capacity of water depends on the geometry of the chambers
and velocity of wheel rotation. A medium water wheel
measures 300 cm in diameter, 40 cm width, for 30 chambers
and a capacity of 100 120 liters/min (Fig. 4). According to
the designer of the water wheel, the capacity can increase by
increasing the water flows or the adding of chambers. To
produce the maximum water wheel capacity, controlling the
water flow is very important. There are two ways to control
the water flow; one is to reduce/increase number of water and
the second is to decrease/increase the flow water using a
brake under the wheel. Using a brake under the wheel is easy
to set manually.

Figure (5): Water mill generates seven pounders

simultaneously
The input in the water mill system, using the drop of water
and transforming the waters potential energy into kinetic
energy, which moves the blades of the vertical wheel, which
in turn causes the shaft to move the pounders. The rotation of
the wheel depends on the velocity of flow water in the tunnel
and waterfall angle (Figure 6a). The bearing functions to
reduce the friction between the shaft and casing. Construction
of pounders, shaft and supporting wheel also contributes to
reduce energy losses in the water wheel system (Figures 6b,
6c & 6d).

(a)

Figure (4): the capacity of water wheel to elevate water

The PWW WM (PWW water mill) can generate
mechanical power for traditional rice milling or rice pounders.
This WM capacity is smaller than the WW because to
generate the pounders requires only low energy. The
particular WM studied in Bukit Tinggi, a mountainous area of
Reference Number: W09-0014

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Vol. (1) No. (2)

used (d) shaft and supporting wheel.

(b)

(c)

V.

COST OF CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND

MAINTENANCE

In terms of manufacturing process, the operation and

maintenance costs are considered as very important items to
sustain a system. For this WM, the construction cost is low
due to the construction using hardwood, which comes from
the natural environment. Some parts are taken from steel such
as bearings but they are also from recycled materials. The low
cost of operation is also due to the non-dependence of using
an electrical power to generate the movement of the wheel.
The power resource is water flow, used to continuously
generate the movement of the wheel. Therefore, the water
flow is considered a renewable and sustainable energy. The
cost of maintenance is also very low since there is no need for
maintenance annually or monthly. Based on the experience of
the informants, a change of components seldom occurred;
hence further contributing to the reduction in cost.
The cost estimation to construct a PWW of 300 cm
diameter is about US$ 300 400 using hardwood as the
major material and recycled bearing. The cost estimation for a
WM is lower. The actual total cost for water wheel depends
on the size and model. PWW in some areas are constructed of
bamboo to reduce costs. Such a WW will give a shorter life
compared to that constructed from hardwood.
VI. ECONOMIC IMPACT ON
THE RURAL ECONOMY

(d)

Figure (6): Construction of water mill: (a) the tunnel and

waterfall on wheel, (b) pounders mechanism, (c) ball bearing
Reference Number: W09-0014

In the rural area, most activities centered on using

traditional technology, sometimes resulting in low
productivities. The PWW, using water flow from rivers can
increase productivities. The development of energy systems
based on water energy resources is vital to enhance the
livelihood of people. Padang is a community that has long
been in close affinity with a water landscape, water has been
part of the geographical, cultural and intellectual landscape,
thus it is only natural that many traditional innovation arise
from this landscape. The pervasive cosmological landscape of
the Padang people is a house situated in a valley; beyond the
house are gentle rolling hills; next to the house is a water
wheel attached to a water mill. The river that provides energy
to the water wheel runs to a lake. The whole country has a
system of irrigation and drainage, which are inter-connected.
In this landscape, it is expected that water wheel has an
economic importance; developed for irrigation and drainage.
As a role of thumb, one water wheel can irrigate about 5 ha of
rice field of more should the number and size of water wheels
maybe increased, therefore the greater the area that can be
irrigated. Hence, there is a need to design efficient piping
systems from reservoirs to the rice fields.
Similar to the WW, the WM also gives a significant
economic impact to the rural environment. A WW with 150
cm diameter and 40 cm width can pound 600 kg of powders
in a day. For one of the informants, the money from the
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family WM in Aia Hangat has supported a family consists of

five persons since twenty years ago, including sending two
off springs to university. It was observed that the WW and
WM have a big economic impact on the rural economy. On
the whole, this system holds enormous potential in terms of
economic impact due to its low cost, sustainability, and
energy renewability.
VII. EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN
THE RURAL AREA
Modern turbo-machinery based on advanced technology
such as the pump and turbine are difficult to be applied in the
rural areas due to non-accessibility of electrical power. But
they still need machines to support agricultural activities. The
WW and WM are suitable and effective technology systems
to support the system of irrigation (Figure 7). One of the most
important aspects of the traditional water wheel is that it is
constructed using a simple design with very basic technology.
No special expertise is required in constructing the water
wheel but knowledge on how to transfer the energy from the
water to be mechanical power is very important.

Vol. (1) No. (2)

VIII. CONCLUSIONS
The PWW, a renewable and sustainable energy system
with effective technologies, low cost of operation and
maintenance is very suitable in rural area with a water
landscape environment. The traditional water wheel and water
mill, which were constructed with a simple design with very
basic technology, have a big economic impact on the rural
economy. The traditional water wheels and water mills were
constructed from hardwood, bamboo and recycled
components from steel functions as a new green technology
promising no negative effects on the environment.
REFERENCES
[1] M.G. Simoes and F.A. Farret, 2004, Renewable Energy
System: Design and Analysis with induction generators,
CRC Press, Florida, USA.
[2] Oliver, P., 2002, Small Hydro Power: Technology and
Current Status, Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, Vol. 107, No. 6, pp. 537-556.
[3] http://www.pelaminanminang.com/sejarah/sejarah_
sumatera_barat.html)
[4] S. Muin, 1993, Pesawat-Pesawat Konversi Egergi II,
CNR Pres. Jakarta.
[5] R.S.R. Gorla and A.A. Khan, 2003, Turbo-machinery:
Design and theory, Marcel Dekker Inc. USA.
[6] A. Earthxcan, 1981, New and Renewable Energy,
Russell Press Ltd. Nottingham, UK.
[7] O.E. Belje, 1981, Turbo-machinery: A Guide to design,
Selection, and Theory, John Willey & Son Inc. USA.

Figure (7): Two types of water wheels were constructed

from hardwood and bamboo.

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