Energies used in the past
Briefly about energy
The word “energy” derives from the Greek word “action”
We can call “energy” everything what is estimated as the
mechanical work, it means energy is the parameter of
“workability”
One kind of energy can transform to other kind of energy
but energy itself doesn’t come from nowhere and does
not disappear.
The main source of energy – the Sun. Almost every kind
of energy derives from it, except nuclear power.
The main dates of Lithuanian energetic history
8 thousand years B.C. – people used thermal energy to heat
the houses and prepare food
4 thousand years B.C. – thermal energy is used for making
pots
1 thousand years B.C. – thermal energy was began to use for
brass products
I-IV century – thermal energy was began to use for melting
iron
I–IV century – the energy of cattle is began to use
X-XI century – The circle for producing pots is
implemented, the millstones using human power were
began to use
XIII–XIV century – The water and wind mills were began to
XIII–
build
XV
XV–
–XVI century – The use of water mills spread (making
armor, making paper, milling the grains)
1824 – In Strėvininkų castle (Trakų region)
region) the first
mechanical engine was used for agricultural devise based
on water energy obtained from water wheel.
Wind mill – aerodynamical device, which uses wind power
for making the mechanical work.
The first wind mills were invented in VII century in Persia.
In Lithuania they were usually used for milling the grains
and pumping water.
From old historical times the wind mills are the integral part
of our Lithuanian landscapes.
Wind mill in Šeduva
There stands a wind mill near the
road…
The entire world can be defined through the symbol of the
mill. It revolves around it’s axis like the Earth. The mills
usually have 4 wings – like four sides of the world
directions, four seasons of the year.
In Lithuania the first wind mills were began to build in XIV
century near the Baltic sea. In XIX century the wind mills
spread all over Lithuania. The wind mills were build in
flatlands were there are tendencies of smooth winds
without swirls.
In uneven environments the place for building wind mills
was searched on the hills – constructers wanted the trees
houses and forests not to block the mill.
The construction of the mill was simple – the movement of
the wings was transferred to millstones or other
mechanisms.
After WWII most of the wind mills stopped working and
cheap electricity was began to use instead.
Wind mills usually were wooden, although there were mills
from stone, bricks an clay.
The kinds of wind mills in Lithuania were “hat mills” and
“stem mills”. Both constructed in such a way that they
could be anytime turned towards the direction of the wind.
Vencavų “hat mill”
Vabalninko “stem mill”
In Lithuania in the second half of XIX century there were 200
wind mills and in the first half of XX century – nearly 1000.
Today the wind mills are not functional.
In nowadays we have information about 76 wind mills
remaining in Lithuania.
Water mills
The water mills derive from millstones. They were already
used in Greece in V century B.C.
The first wind mills in Lithuania are mentioned in 1256. Water
mills were built near the river dams.
These constructions are very specific. It can be one or two
floor buildings with production and living spaces.
Till XX century there was water wheel used in water mills,
later on it was changed with the more rational water turbines.
The construction of water mills developed the
competencies of various craftsmen, multiplied the amount
of people who understood the principles of mechanics.
People say that there were some water mills built in Siberia
by exiled Lithuanians.
There were the factories of chopping grains and paper,
cutting wood, smitheries working on the basis of water
mills.. Today we usually have only the ruins of it
mills
it.. But some
wise men reconstructed these historical construction, for
example, Babrungenu mill became a museum of national
arts, Verkiu mill became a romantic restaurant
restaurant..
Verkių mill
mill
In the beginning of XX century there were almost 2000
mills known. Mostly in Western and Eastern Lithuania.
Today we have only one sixth part of them remaining.
Interesting fact…
Not everybody knows that there was a mill in Vilnius
near Russian embassy in Žvėrynas.
Žvėrynas. It stood on the
Šaltupio river and belonged to Radvil
Radvilų
ų casttle.
casttle. The
construction remained until today.
In XVI or XVII century in Žvėrynas there were two ponds
digg out and 2 water mills built. Only one of them remained
till today and the system of the ponds was expanded. After
the war there was temporary electrical water mill made
instead. In 2003 the building was reconstructed.
Gaveikėnų water mill
Horse power
For thousand years the horse power was used to simplify
the lives of humanity. The horse can take up to 10 times
heavier weight than a human. That is why it is natural
that the power of a horse was compared to the power of
machines.
The initiator of steam machine James Watt in XVIII
century defined the measurement of the power – it
denotes what weight and at what speed can a horse
drag. This measurement is called horse power.
1 horse power – it is a power needed for 75 kg weight to
be carried vertically up at a speed of 1 second per meter.
It is natural, that a horse has taken a great place in the
materialistic and spiritual culture of nation and became an
important hero in verbal culture of the nation – in the songs,
fairy tales, riddles…
The energy of solid fuel
Wood and peat
Our ancestors were wise enough to use the resources of surroundings
without damaging nature. They used the power of cattle, later – wind
and water mills, other self made constructions. Even when the steam
engines occurred the main fuel remained the wood and the peat. Till
1935 local fuel dominated in the fuel balance in Lithuania: the wood
composed 66 percent, peat – 5 percent, coal – 24 percent and oil
products – 5 percent. The main consumers of the energetic resources
were households (69 percent), industry (23 percent) and transportation
(8 percent).
After WWII decade after the local resources dominated in
Lithuanian energetic balance. Till the end of 6th decade
peat was main fuel for electric plants. But in 19621962-1965 the
needs for imported fuel (natural gas and oil) rose
immensely.
The wood – the pieces of trees used as fuel for fire, heaters or similar
devices for getting the heat, sometimes – for the light. Small pieces of
trees (slivers, scobs
scobs)) are not thought of as wood. Wood is the form of
solid fuel.
Preparing of wood
The trees for wood are usually cut in winter, when wood is dryer (and
it is more convenient to get to the forest, when ground is solid). The
trees are cut into timbers and timbers later on are cut into pieces for
usage.
Wood cut into pieces is dried:
openly in the air;
under the roof;
in special constructions.
Wood can be obtained from the dry (dead) trees, old wooden buildings
– but in latter case the wood is not always of a good quality.
The heat of wood
The most heat is received from wood of these trees: oaks, birches,
ashes.
The usage of the wood
Heating of the buildings – they are burnt in fireplaces;
Preparing food;
Technological heating – in special heaters wood heats the water, dries
materials, etc.;
For fun during various feasts.
Different use of wood
Sometimes wood is used as a fuel for engines:
During wars when there was a lack of fuel cars and agriculture
machines sometimes used steam generators, which were heated with
the help of the wood. Sometimes steam trains also used wood for
steam engines when they lacked coal.
The largest part of households energy was given to the
preparation of food and hot water. For a long time the
wood was the most popular kind of energy in households
(38 percent; 2009)
The peat – Peat is organic material composed of partially decayed
vegetation, wood remains and humus.
This material is found in great amounts in Russian, Scandinavia,
Canada and other countries, which lay at high latitude.
Peat is forming in swamps. Peat covers about 3 percent of earth
surface. In Lithuania peat covers 6,4 percent, in Estonia – 22
percent, in Finland – 33 percent of the area. The peat is used as a
fuel, in agriculture – for fertilization of soil.
The process of peat formation is very slow. A layer of peat grows at a
rate of about only a millimeter per year. Fuel peat includes milled peat
and sod peat, as well as its briquettes, granules and other types of
products. When burning fuel peat, the amount of energy received
depends on calorific value, moisture, type and degree of decomposition
of peat, as well as on boilers’ useful action rates and adjustment of
their operation modes.
From old times, peat was used for fuel in Lithuania, alongside with
firewood. During the last interwar years of independent Lithuania, 230
thousand tons of peat were extracted and a major part of it was burned.
After the World War II, peat mining increased considerably, i.e. over 2
million tons of peat was extracted every year, whereas in 1975 the
number reached even 3.2 million tons. Until 1970, about 1.5 million tons
of peat was burned every year, yet in subsequent years, when usage of
coal, gas, oil fuel and other inexpensive oil products imported from
abroad had been increasing, less peat was used for fuel. In 1975, about
280 thousand tons of peat was still burned in thermoelectric power
stations and building materials industry companies, yet after ten years
only about 50 thousand tons (i.e. 2-3 % of the total amount of the peat
extracted) was used for this purpose. Peat was started to be used in
large collective farms for litter (up to 85% of the total amount of the
peat extracted), as well as for planting, composts, etc.
After restoring the independence of Lithuania and when restructuring
economy, peat industry, like many other mining trades, experienced a
decline. The large farms which had been using the biggest amounts of
peat were liquidated; after the costs of peat transportation increased,
its demand decreased either. In 1995-1997 the amount of peat
extracted was only slightly bigger than that during the interwar period
in Lithuania, i.e. 250 – 280 thousand tons.
The first electrical power
plants in Lithunia
In 1892 17th of April – in Rietavas the first electrical
power plant began its work
In 1897 – The first power plant in Vilnius started it’s
work
In 1903 14th of February – The first public Vilnius’
power plant started it’s work.
1904 – In Kairiškiai
Kairiškiai the first Lithuanian water power
plant started it’s work.
Conclusions
The main kinds of energy used in the past are wind energy,
water energy, solid fuel, cattle energy (horses, cows)
In XIXth century the first power plants began working
The energetics of Lithuania in the past is colorful and rich
For those who listened
attentively…
The sparrow with for beaks nicely turns
round on the hill. What is it?
Thank you for your attention