Creating Energy
"Hydropower - Google Search." Hydropower
- Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
<https://www.google.com/search?q=hydropower&espv
A
typical hydro plant is a system with three parts: an
electric plant where the electricity is produced; a dam that
can be opened or closed to control water flow; and a
reservoir where water can be stored. The water behind the
dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a
turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine then spins a
generator to produce electricity. This simple idea has led
to hydropower overtaking renewable energy.
Hydropower generates about 24 percent of the world's and 12
percent of the United States' electricity. In the
United States,
more than 2,000 hydropower plants make hydro-electric power
the country's largest renewable energy source (at 49
percent). The United States increased its hydroelectric
power generation from about 16 billion kilowatt-hours in
1920 to nearly 306 billion kilowatt-hours in 1999. According
to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, world
hydroelectric power plants have a combined capacity of
675,000 megawatts that produces over 2.3 trillion
kilowatt-hours of electricity each year; supplying 24
percent of the world's electricity to more than 1 billion
people.
Woodmen, Robert. "How
Hydroelectricity Works." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 07 Apr.
2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnPEtwQtmGQ>.
Link to watch video: Hydroelectric Power
Interesting
Facts
· Hydroelectric
power is the most commonly used renewable energy source
·
Hydropower
is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. That's
because once a dam has been built and the equipment
installed, the energy source—flowing water—is free. It's a
clean fuel source that is renewable yearly by snow and
rainfall.
·
The
first hydroelectric power plant was built at Niagara Falls
in 1879
·
Hydroelectric
power provides almost one-fifth of the world's electricity
·
The
largest hydroelectric plant is La Grande in Quebec, Canada
·
The
first hydroelectric plant in the United States opened
Sept. 30, 1882 on the Fox River near Appleton, Wisconsin
·
Niagara
Falls is one of the major hydroelectric plants in the
United States
·
The
largest site in the U.S. is Grand Coulee in Washington
which has 33 generators
·
Worldwide
hydroelectric power generates enough electricity to meet
the needs of 28.3 million people