Hydroelectric Energy: Power of Water
- Sylvia Rose
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Hydroelectric power generates electricity with the energy of moving water, which is considered a renewable resource. Used for millennia to drive machinery, it now supplies electric power to an ever more crowded world.
About Hydropower
Hydropower produces electricity using kinetic energy of water. A dam on a river forms a reservoir. Water collects and is released in controlled amounts. As water flows over the dam and through turbines, it converts kinetic energy into rotational and mechanical energy, to electric.
Types of Hydropower Facilities
Impoundment Facilities (Dams)
These are the most common type, using a dam to create a large reservoir. They can store water and generate electricity on demand, providing a reliable source of power.
Run-of-River Facilities
These use the natural flow of a river, without a large reservoir. Less injurious to the environment, they generate electricity depending on the river's flow rate but are also less predictable.
Pumped Storage Hydropower
These systems pump water uphill from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during periods of low electricity demand, as at night, using surplus energy from other sources. When demand is high, the stored water is released to generate electricity.
Process & Components
Dam: Not always necessary, a dam is constructed to create a reservoir, a large body of water. The dam enables controlled release of water. It creates a difference in water level (head), increasing the force of the water.
Intake: This is the opening in the dam or channel to direct water flow toward the powerhouse.
Penstock: A large pipe or tunnel carries the water from the reservoir or river to the turbine.
When an object is in motion, it has kinetic energy, which can be converted into various forms of mechanical energy, like rotational motion or work.
Mechanical energy includes both kinetic energy (the energy of motion) and potential energy (stored energy).
Turbine (image below): The heart of the hydropower system. As water rushes through the penstock, it hits the turbine blades. Mechanical energy converts kinetic energy of the water into rotational energy. It's then transformed into electrical energy.
Generator: Connected to the turbine, the generator uses electromagnetic induction to convert rotational energy into electrical energy. Mechanical energy spins a magnet (the rotor) in a stationary set of conductive wire windings (the stator). As the rotor turns, it alters the magnetic field in the stator, inducing an electric current flow in the wire.
Transformer: Increases the voltage of the electricity so it can be efficiently transmitted over long distances through power lines.
Outflow: Water exits the turbine and flows back into the river downstream.
Hydro & the Environment
Hydroelectric dams can produce greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Emissions are lower than those from fossil fuel power plants.
The gases are released when organic matter like vegetation decomposes underwater in the reservoirs. While hydropower is generally considered a low-carbon energy source, emissions from reservoirs can tip the balance.
In ancient Egypt, the flooding of the Nile brings fertile silt for crops and an abundance of aquatic life. Water is channeled into reservoirs for later use. The floods are a lifeline and lifestyle in Egypt for millennia.
Modern Egypt has a different agenda. After construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1970 the floods stop. Today the Nile River is polluted with industrial toxins, garbage, and is slowly drying up due to climate change and unsustainable water management.
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