Waterwheels are making a comeback but instead of driving the mechanical processes of milling or hammering, they are being used to generate renewable energy and help decarbonise energy systems from the Himalayas and Nepal to Northern Ireland. Instructions to build waterwheels for renewable energy production are even freely available online.
Read more about it here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/17/how-climate-friendly-waterwheels-are-coming-around-again