The hidden inefficiency of hydraulics: why we need a revolution
From our UK edition
Hydraulics is one of the world’s unsung heroes. It’s everywhere, hidden in plain sight. From the brakes in your car to the planes in the sky and the cranes that built your office, hydraulics is the muscle behind modern life. Yet, despite its ubiquity, it has remained technologically stagnant for 70 years, operating at astonishingly low levels of efficiency. Hydraulic systems make up 15 per cent of the EU’s total energy consumption, and they are on average on 22 per cent efficient, meaning hydraulics is responsible for wasting 4,300 petajoules of energy annually — the equivalent of powering 82 million homes a year. This incomprehensible figure is just for the EU, giving an idea of the scale on energy wastage globally.
