Art Portfolio Two: engineering adjustments and research

Today, I want to look in more detail at my waterfall idea. A waterfall is a design element that costs a lot of money because of the electricity required to pump water from the bottom. My first thought was to place hydraulic microturbines with the pump under the building so that the water would create a pressure to roll the microturbines. This is a basic principle of all hydroelectric power plants. (For better understanding, see Fig1. or watch the attached video) The building would have small-scale hydropower systems that generate electricity from the kinetic energy of moving water, according to firm Advanced Microturbines. On top of the building will be placed a water tank for which I will create a nice design so it will connect to the building aesthetically. Microturbines are quite and small compared to the classic ones. However, I asked my friend from the engineering faculty about this idea. He said, "You have losses in energy all over the place, so no, it wouldn't be feasible". That means the energy lost is too big and the pressure is too low to compensate for these losses, also, the conversion of the energy law ( to see an explanation of the term, follow the link) wouldn't allow me to do it. This idea is basically copying a pumped storage hydro, but I need more energy than just water pressure kinetic energy to pump water up. I thought this could happen that way, but I expected it to work.

Fig1

My next idea is to use solar panels as an alternative source of electricity that is required to pump water. For the building will be needed a 3-4 solar panel and a 3 kWh battery for night work because it's in London and the sun is not the best energy conductor, and the waterfall will work approximately 15 hours (the approximate calculation possible to be seen in Fig2). I planned that solar panels would absolutely produce the electricity for this construction. This method is working, but impossible because in the evening the waterfall should work all the time, as on the last floor will be placed a restaurant and the view for customers will be marvelous through the window. For this method, I also must place a water tank on top, but the issue is that the waterfall wouldn't work full-time. It's possible to do just with a period. After the water falls down need to wait till it fills the tank on top, and then the waterfall works again(the sketch of this process possible to seen in Fig2). I do not like this idea. This way, the waterwall would not create the visual effect that it is supposed to create.

Fig2. Approximate calculation and sketch

Next, I decided again ask my friend that studying engineering for help. He recommended adding some improvements to my idea with solar panels. He recommended adding a pump under the building that will indicate and control the speed of water flowing. Also, the speed of the pump is possible to change means that in cloudy weather, when solar panels would create less energy will be possible to change the speed and the flow of water from the waterfall but the flow pressure from water tank to pump will be same this way the gravity will do more work and less energy required. For better understanding, look at the fast sketch(Fig. 3, 4) below.

Fig 3

Fig 4

References:

admin. “Microturbines for Water - MicroTurbines.” MicroTurbines, 4 Dec. 2023, advancedmicroturbines.com/microturbines-for-water/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

“Hydropower Explained.” Eia.gov, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 20 Apr. 2023, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydropower/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Boechler, Ethan. “Law of Conservation of Energy.” Energy Education, University of Calgary, 2021, energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Law_of_conservation_of_energy. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Video that explains how Hydroelectric Power works:

opgvideos. “Hydroelectric Power - How It Works.” Youtu.be, 2025, youtu.be/OC8Lbyeyh-E?si=yV85-JRn-BpXKAUJ. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Bibliography:

Aldo Viera da Rosa. Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes. Erscheinungsort Nicht Ermittelbar, Academic Press Inc, 2012.

“Solar Pumping System.” Wind & Sun, 2022, www.windandsun.co.uk/pages/solar-pumping-system?srsltid=AfmBOor2gyfYNR1C_c119Uv4A9FEXvlYvUp0AUb3SQtfqSf1JHUBAIS7. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

R S Means Company Staff. Green Building : Project Planning and Cost Estimating. Kingston, Wiley, 2011.

Bikash Pandey, et al. Hydroelectric Energy : Renewable Energy and the Environment. Boca Raton, Crc Press/Taylor & Francis Group, Cop, 2017.

Farret, Felix A, and M Godoy Simões. Integration of Alternative Sources of Energy. Piscataway, Ieee Press ; Hoboken, N.J, 2006.