Transcript Hydroelectric Energy

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History
 Nearly 2000 years ago the Greeks used water wheels to
grind wheat into flour
 - In the 1700's, hydropower was broadly used for
milling of lumber and grain and for pumping
irrigation water
 - Appleton, Wisconsin became the first operational
hydroelectric generating station in the United States,
in 1882, producing 12.5 kilowatts (kW) of power
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable
 Hydroelectric – Renewable
 Why? Because water is always flowing due to gravity.
And it uses the earths water cycle to generate
electricity.
 Water has been around for million of years. Used and
reused for a long period of time.
Primary Uses
 ELECTRICITY!!!
Hydroelectricity Source
 Hydroelectricity is produced by the flow of water from
precipitation from the water cycle and is pulled
downstream towards the ocean, though dams by way
of gravity.
 Hydroelectricity is the conversion of kinetic energy
(flow of water) into Electric (Conduction of turbine)
Advantages to hydroelectric
power:
 Fuel is not burned so there is minimal pollution
 Water to run the power plant is provided free by
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nature
Hydropower plays a major role in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions
Relatively low operations and maintenance costs
The technology is reliable and proven over time
It's renewable - rainfall renews the water in the
reservoir, so the fuel is almost always there
Water can be stored, waiting to be used in peak times
Disadvantages to hydroelectric
power:
 High investment costs
 Hydrology dependent (precipitation)
 In some cases, flooding of land and wildlife habitat
 In some cases, loss or modification of fish habitat
 In some cases, changes in reservoir and stream water
quality
 In some cases, displacement of local populations.
Pollution:
 Methane is produced from the decompositions of
plants due to the formation of reservoirs that flood
river valleys. Hydroelectric dams do not burn any fuel
regularly, so there is not a whole lot of pollution beside
ecological waste like dead plants, fish, and sediment
from land erosion from the formation of the reservoir.
World Use
 Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source
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of energy.
Hydropower represents 19% of total electricity production.
China is the largest producer of hydroelectricity, followed by Canada,
Brazil, and the United States
Approximately two-thirds of the economically feasible potential
remains to be developed. Untapped hydro resources are still abundant
in Latin America, Central Africa, India and China.
One of the world's largest hydro plants is at Three Gorges on China's
Yangtze River
The biggest hydro plant in the United States is located at the Grand
Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in northern Washington.
Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. It's a
clean fuel source that is renewable yearly by snow and rainfall.
Hydroelectric Use in the World
News
 Brazil generates roughly 80% of tis electricity from the
hydropower plants. Lack of rain in recent months have
caused blackouts and sweltering heat weeks.
 Severe droughts have led to decrease in water inflow to
Hydroelectric power industries over the past few years,
limiting the ability to generate electricity.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj4dZM4SIls
Sources
 http://water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html
 http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyc
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lopedia/hydroelectric-energy/?ar_a=1
Georges Brains
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energychoices/renewable-energy/how-hydroelectric-energy.html
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-andyou/affect/hydro.html
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/hydropo
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