Hydropower plants capture the energy of falling water to generate electricity. A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electrical energy.
What is Hydroelectricity?
Hydroelectricity is an established power-generation technology with over 100 years of commercial operation. it is considered a renewable energy source because water is continuously moving as a result of Earth's water cycle.
Ways to use the energy source: Hydropower
One common way to harness the energy of moving water is to build a Hydroelectric Dam along a river. Releasing water from a reservoir (the body of water held behind a dam) can push water fast enough against a turbine to spin its blades, generating electricity.
We can also capture the energy of tides and waves using other technologies, but all technologies funnel water along a path that is pushed against a turbine.
Benefits for using hydropower:
Renewable- Hydroelectric energy is renewable. This means that we cannot use up. However, there’s only a limited number of suitable reservoirs where hydroelectric power plants can be built and even less places where such projects are profitable.
Green-
Generating electricity with hydro energy is not polluting itself. The only pollution occurs during the construction of these massive power plants.
Reliable-
Hydroelectricity is very reliable energy. There are very little fluctuations in terms of the electric power that is being by the plants, unless a different output is desired. Countries that have large resources of hydropower use hydroelectricity as a base load energy source. As long as there is water in the magazines electricity can be generated.
Flexible- As previously mentioned, adjusting water flow and output of electricity is easy. At times where power consumption is low, water flow is reduced and the magazine levels are being conserved for times when the power consumption is high
Safe- Compared to among others fossil fuels and nuclear energy, hydroelectricity is much safer. There is no fuel involved (other than water that is).
Drawbacks for using hyrdopower:
Environmental Consequences- The environmental consequences of hydropower are related to interventions in nature due to damming of water, changed water flow and the construction of roads and power lines.Hydroelectric power plants may affect fish is a complex interaction between numerous physical and biological factors. More user interests related to exploitation of fish species, which helps that this is a field that many have strong opinions on.Fish habitats are shaped by physical factors such as water level, water velocity and shelter opportunities and access to food. Draining would be completely devastating to the fish. Beyond this, the amount of water may have different effects on the fish in a river, depending on the type and stage of the life cycle. Not all unregulated river systems are optimal in terms of fish production, because of large fluctuations in flow.
Expensive- Building power plants in general is expensive. Hydroelectric power plants are not an exception to this. On the other hand, these plants do not require a lot of workers and maintenance costs are usually low.
Droughts-Electricity generation and energy prices are directly related to how much water is available. A drought could potentially affect this.
Limited Reservoirs-We have already started using up suitable reservoirs for hydroelectric power plants. There are currently about 30 major power plants that are expected to generate more than 2.000 MW under construction. Only one of these projects was started in the last two years.
Interesting Facts!
Hydroelectric power is the most commonly used renewable energy source.
The oldest hydroelectric plant is Cragside in Rothbury , England.
The largest hydroelectric plant is La Grande in Quebec , Canada.
About 11 percent of electricity in the U.S. comes from hydropower.
Niagara Falls is the most famous and well known hydroelectric plant in the world
The state of Washington is the largest consumer of hydroelectric power in the USA.
Hydroelectricity has a significant contribution in the reduction of the pollution of our environment since it prevents the burning of the equivalent of 22 billion gallons of oil per year.