Hydropower Generation

What is Hydropower?

• Hydropower is the natural force created by water as it moves from areas of high elevation to areas of low elevation.
• Water produces massive amounts of kinetic energy as it flows due to the force of gravity pulling it down.

Historical Use of Hydropower

• Hydropower has been used historically to power mills that milled wheat into flour, and to power hammers that break and process ore.
• In the late 1700s and 1800s, the invention and use of the turbine led to the production of electricity using hydropower.

Hydroelectric Power

• Hydroelectric power is the production of electricity using hydropower.
• The U.S. uses hydroelectric power to produce 7.3% of its total generated electricity and 37% of its total clean energy produced.
• Hydroelectric power plants are built on rivers, and some are built with dams that create artificial bodies of stored water known as reservoirs.

Electricity Generation

• To produce electricity using water, there must be a flow of water and a turbine connected to an electrical generator.
• The water cycle is the pattern of water being evaporated, condensing into clouds, and falling back to Earth, which provides the flow of water for hydroelectric power.
• The flow of water usually comes from a river, and the hydropower plant is built right on the waterfront.
• The water flows through holes in the dam, or penstock, which then turns a turbine and powers a generator.

How Hydropower Produces Electricity

• The turbine turns a shaft connected to magnetic steel filaments that spin when the turbine turns.
• The spinning magnets cause electrons to jump from the magnet to the copper wire, producing electricity.
• The electricity is piped to the electrical grid, which our homes and buildings are connected to.

Hydropower Pros and Cons

• Pros of hydropower include:
  • It is a renewable resource because water is recycled constantly in the water cycle.
  • It is a clean energy resource because it does not use fossil fuels that pollute the atmosphere.
  • It is flexible, meaning electricity can be produced immediately once the hydropower facility is built.
  • It is cost-effective, with construction requirements that are cheap and structures that are durable.
  • It provides a local power source, with each state able to generate their own electricity.
• Cons of hydropower include:
  • The damming of waterways can have drastically negative impacts on local ecosystems.
  • Creating reservoirs can change the temperature of the water, which can disrupt ecosystems.
  • The creation of a reservoir can sometimes include practices that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Damming can disrupt the natural flow of the river, affecting many organisms that rely on the natural flow of water.