What is HydroPower ? Public Facts
- Hydropower, also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a water source to produce power.
- Hydropower is a method of sustainable energy production. Since ancient times, hydropower from watermills has been used as a renewable energy source for irrigation and the operation of mechanical devices, such as gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, trip hammers, dock cranes, domestic lifts, and ore mills. A TROMPE, which produces compressed air from falling water, is sometimes used to power other machinery at a distance.
- Hydropower is now used principally for hydroelectric power generation, and is also applied as one half of an energy storage system known as pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Hydropower is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels as it does not directly produce carbon dioxide or other atmospheric pollutants and it provides a relatively consistent source of power.
- Nonetheless, it has economic, sociological, and environmental downsides and requires a sufficiently energetic source of water, such as a river or elevated lake. International institutions such as the World Bank view hydropower as a low-carbon means for economic development
How do we get Energy from Water?
Based on this Energy.Gov Article
Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is a renewable source of energy that generates power by using a dam or diversion structure to alter the natural flow of a river or other body of water. Hydropower relies on the endless, constantly recharging system of the water cycle to produce electricity, using a fuel—water—that is not reduced or eliminated in the process.
There are many types of hydropower facilities, though they are all powered by the kinetic energy of flowing water as it moves downstream. Hydropower utilises turbines and generators to convert that kinetic energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to power homes, businesses, and industries.
Learning Video on Hydroelectric Power and How it Works?
Based on RealPars Video Transcript
Renewable energy has become a very hot topic in today’s world. We see and hear more every day about solar and wind power generation. What we don’t talk about, however, is that with the increased use of wind and solar energy, comes the increased concern about grid stability.The equilibrium between how much load is generated, and how much load is required by the grid is a continuous balancing act, which needs stability and is crucial in order to avoid blackouts.
The energy generated needs to constantly be equal to the energy consumed. When it comes to generating power via the use of wind or solar energy, there are uncertainties that need to be accounted for: Either the sun is bright and shining, or it is not. Either you have wind making your turbines spin, or you don’t. What we are doing by the addition of those energy sources is essentially adding more and more instability to the grid.
This is where hydropower comes in, not only do the hydropower plants have the ability to store fuel (or water!), they also have the ability to respond to grid variations, also referred to as load requests within fragments of a second due to its governing systems that control the turbine’s speed. That is why hydropower is often referred to as the Guardian of the Grid!
How is hydropower actually generated? The energy is generated by the same principles ancient Greek farmers used to grind grain: the flowing water spinning a wheel or a turbine. Hydroelectric power plants are always located near a water source due to the fact that water is the source of hydroelectric power. Inside the power plants, there are different types of turbines – Learn more in the Video
RealPars
Learn How a Hydro Electric Dam Works
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