Opening game, American Tycoon

Chapter 545 Great infrastructure is the way to strengthen the country (first update, please subscribe)
Not enough coal, water and electricity to make up.

Now that the supply of coal is becoming increasingly tight, let's find a way to sustainable renewable energy!
It is definitely unrealistic to develop solar energy in this era, relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to eat water, since Yingtian is close to Xin'an River, let's make a fuss directly on the water!
So Zhu Xianhai directly chose hydropower.

In fact, even though Nanhua has entered the era of electricity to some extent, the level of power generation is hard to describe.Nanhua's power supply mainly relies on thermal power. Unlike the steam turbine generators used in later generations of thermal power stations, Nanhua uses steam engine generators. In terms of efficiency, steam engines are not suitable for power generation.Because most of the larger steam engines adopt a horizontal structure, the speed is usually not high, around one or two hundred revolutions per minute.Generators with low speeds have low power generation efficiency, which directly leads to high power generation costs. Although the reliability of steam engines satisfies engineers, it is far inferior to steam turbines.However, for Daming, who was determined to seize the forefront of steam engines, the process of steam turbines was too difficult, and it was unrealistic to design and manufacture suitable steam turbines in a short period of time.

Affected by the supply of coal, the coal supply of thermal power plants is now limited.In this case, hydropower becomes the only option.

Of course, considering the technical level in 1871, it is obviously not realistic to build a large hydropower station on the Xin'an River, but it is impossible to build a large one, and a small one can be built.You don’t even need to build them. As early as the era of Spanish rule, many hydraulic mills or hydraulic tanneries were built on the banks of the Rio de la Plata. What are their common characteristics?
Just use water power.

"...Fuller Flour Mill uses an aqueduct to divert water from upstream. With the help of the impact force formed by the difference between the upper and lower water levels, the water flow in the aqueduct can drive two 50-horsepower Francis water turbines. At present, this flour mill..."

Before Fang Zhanbo finished his introduction, Zhu Xianhai said directly.

"This is the flour mill!"

A 50-horsepower water turbine can form a small hydropower station as long as it is slightly improved.

Although Emperor Zhu did not understand the technology of hydropower stations, at least he was very clear about the prospects of hydropower stations.Especially in South America, where coal resources are scarce but water resources are abundant, the development of hydropower is the best choice.

Among other things, let’s take the largest “Itaipu Hydropower Station” in the world as an example. This hydropower station located in the upper reaches of the Paraná River, once completed, the annual power generation capacity of this power station alone has reached An astonishing 900 billion degrees.

Even if it is impossible to build such a huge power station in this era, we can develop hydropower step by step from small to large.

In just half a month, the power room of the Fuller Flour Mill underwent earth-shaking changes. The transmission belt driven by the water turbine was canceled, and the iron shaft directly drove a generator.

On August 1871, 8, on this day, with the lowering of the sluice gates, under the power of the water, the turning water turbines drove the generators.

When the indicator light was on, amidst the applause of everyone, Zhu Xianhai said a little excitedly.

"Starting today, we will use the power of water - the constant force that will bring us to a new era - the age of electricity!"

The age of electricity!

Electrify!
This is the core of the second industrial revolution, and to a certain extent, it was Daming who created this era—lights, generators, electric motors, including the current hydropower station, everything has been branded with a layer of Ming Dynasty. imprint!

No matter how the world develops in the future, it is certain that the whole world cannot ignore that it was Daming who brought the world into the electrical age.

Of course, all of this was built under the guidance of Zhu Xianhai. In the past ten years, Emperor Zhu played the role of an inventor many times, but most of the time, he played the role of a passerby character of.

This guide is the way to guide the future.Guide a suitable path for the development of Nanhua and Daming.

The current hydropower station is just one of them.

Daming won another world first - a pioneering invention, hydroelectric power station!

Of course, this scene was completely filmed by the movie camera. In fact, in the past half a month, the royal photographer used the camera to take pictures of the construction process of the hydropower station, which will eventually be edited into a documentary film, and then, in the Played in the "cinema", let people feel the great changes in Ming Dynasty.

"We can first choose a suitable place to build a reservoir on a tributary along the Nanhe River."

On the way out of the hydropower station, Emperor Zhu said directly.

The Nanhe River is also the Neuquen River, and it is currently the largest heavy industrial area in Ming Dynasty—Nanyuan City is located on the south bank of the Nanhe River, which was also the "third line" determined by Zhu Xianhai.

"Reservoir? Why build a reservoir? There is no need for a reservoir on the South River, right?"

As Minister of Industry and Commerce, Fang Zhanbo's first reaction was to object.

"For water storage, doesn't the steel company already have a water storage tank? There should be no shortage of industrial water!"

Although Fang Zhanbo was born as a scholar, in the past ten years, after studying in a professional school, he is considered a half-expert in industry.

"It's not about industrial water,"

Zhu Xianhai shook his head and said.

"On the one hand, the purpose of building a reservoir is to meet future water demand. More importantly, it is necessary to build a real hydropower station. Nanyuan's factory must need power supply, and it needs a large amount of power supply. Building a real large-scale hydropower station can not only Guarantee the local power supply, provide cheap electricity to factories, and the surrounding farms also need reservoirs, and building a reservoir is very beneficial to industry and agriculture.”

The hydropower station is not only used to generate electricity, it can also be used for irrigation. With the Nanhe River as the dividing line, the more south you go, the drier it will be. Having a large reservoir can not only solve the problem of power generation, but also help the production of farms in the south .

Hydropower, irrigation, industry, agriculture...all of these are beyond the scope of Fang Zhanbo's understanding. After all, these concepts are far ahead of the scope of understanding of people in this era.

"And a big project like this can absorb manpower to the maximum!"

Emperor Zhu looked out of the car window and continued.

"Compared to letting immigrants enter the farm, we would rather let the immigrants enter the construction site, transform their thinking through collective life, remove those loose things in them, let them get used to collective life, get used to collectivism, and collective life will change Many of their bad living habits have completed their ideological transformation, and in this regard, the construction site is definitely a place to train people."

How is it possible not to exercise people?
Daming's construction sites are all under semi-military management.They worked on the construction site for several years, which is equivalent to living in the army for several years. The imprint of the collective life on them is indelible.

This is why as early as in Nanhua, the company used to send people to the construction site to train for a year or two before recruiting workers.

Because those workers who have experienced long-term militarized management are easier to manage and more disciplined.Such people are of course more welcomed by factories than ordinary immigrants.

"In the past, we relied on building railways to absorb labor, but then we will build hydropower stations. A large hydropower station requires at least a dozen or even two hundred thousand workers, and this is a long-term project. It can be a few years at least, or ten years at most. Such a project can absorb a large number of new immigrants. At that time, the hydropower station site will be our training camp and training school for immigrants. Moreover, the hydropower station will become a new engine to stimulate industrial development!"

During the economic crisis in the 30s, in order to solve employment and stimulate the economy, the United States did not reduce the construction of hydropower stations.

In the end, those hydropower stations not only attracted a large number of laborers, but also further stimulated the development of the American industrial economy and led to their economic recovery.

In fact, let alone Americans, it is Da Mao.There are also mustaches. In order to solve employment and stimulate the economy, they all chose large infrastructure including hydropower stations.

The construction of those large infrastructures can not only provide a large number of jobs, but also consume a large amount of construction materials and require a large amount of equipment, regardless of whether these materials and labor need to be transported.This in turn stimulated the development of the transportation industry, which naturally created a virtuous circle of the economy.

It has promoted their economic development to a large extent, and Daming also needs its own large infrastructure to drive the industrial and economic development of Daming!

In this era, in Daming, whose infrastructure is backward, a big infrastructure is definitely the real way to strengthen the country.

As long as we can seize this opportunity and invest in industrial projects with relatively high returns such as railways and hydropower stations in the next 20 years, Daming's industrial development will not be an ordinary engine by that time.And a rocket booster.

Just like the United States in another era, in the next 20 years, through the railroad investment frenzy, the United States became the world's largest industrial power in just two decades.

Follow other people's path and let others have nowhere to go, this is the direction of Daming's development!
How can we not learn from such a successful advanced experience?

Not only to learn, but also to innovate.

The hydropower station is a new breakthrough beyond the railway!

Whether it is a railway or a hydropower station, it is a leading project with high technology content in this era.By developing them, it can not only drive the development of Daming's economy, but also promote the progress of Daming's technology.

But all of this is just a vision, and there are more urgent things that need to be resolved right now.Looking at the city outside the car, Zhu Xianhai said.

"Of course, everything is difficult at the beginning. Now we can build some small hydropower stations and accumulate some technology to prepare for future large-scale projects. By the way, we can alleviate the current energy crisis!"

(End of this chapter)