81 Hydropower Facts: Learn More About The Alternate Source Of Energy

Hydropower or water power in simple terms is the use of fast-falling water to derive electricity and to power machines using electricity generated through hydroelectric dams.

You must have come across the term 'kinetic energy'. The energy of an object in motion is called kinetic energy.

When the objects are in motion, the atoms and molecules it is comprised of will bob and bounce and hence, produce energy. The water flow from existing dams land with a thud on a turbine, producing kinetic energy in quantum, which is then used to generate electricity.

Did you know that hydropower production is one of the renewable sources of energy and much better than fossil fuels? Hydropower produces no emissions and hydropower accounts for almost one-third of the global capacity for flexible electricity supply.

As the International Energy Agency, the Three Gorges Dam in China has the largest hydropower station in the world. Read on for some interesting facts about the energy sources used for power generation including hydroelectricity. Afterward, also check thermal pollution facts and facts about electricity.

Fun Facts About Hydropower

Here are a few amazing facts about hydropower that you were always looking for!

• Fossil fuel plants are only 50% efficient, while hydropower turbines can convert up to 90% of energy into electricity.
• Modern hydropower can be traced back to the 1700s with the invention of alternate currents. With hydropower in the limelight, hydroelectric power plants also came up, like that of Redlands Power Pant in 1893.
• In the United States, the quantum of hydropower produced can be employed for at least 28 million residents.
• Earth’s water cycle, which is a natural resource that has gravitational potential, is transformed into electrical energy.
• The pumped storage, a type of hydropower that works like a battery, stores water by pumping it from a reservoir at a lower position into another reservoir situated at a much higher position. On releasing the stored water, turbines will start rotating, and electricity is generated.
• Did you know that Norway is braced by energy from hydropower? Around 99% of the country’s energy comes from 20 major hydropower projects. A single hydropower source alone can run the capital city of Oslo for a year.
• Some hydropower facilities are usually small and not necessarily huge dams. They are meant to suffice the irrigation trenches and are called Low Heads while those hydropower facilities that use dams are called High Heads.
• The hydropower equipment at dams is no barrier to aquatic life. The fish and other beings in water will have no hindrances while migrating. The use of fish elevators or fish ladders eases their course.

Facts About Hydropower Dams

The world’s first hydropower plant scheme was introduced by William Armstrong at Cragside in Northumberland of England in 1878. Here are some other great facts about hydropower dams:

• In the US, the first hydropower occurred in Niagara in 1881 and was named Old Schoelkopf Power Station. An engineer, Charles Bush designed a ‘dynamo’ or an electrical generator and connected it to turbines driven by falls. The electricity produced was used in arc lights at nighttime for tourists.
• The first commercial hydropower station was created in the US in 1882 in Appleton in Wisconsin. The electricity produced was in bulk and could light up homes and fuel paper mills.
• If you think that these hydropower dams are of use only for irrigation, then you are mistaken. Apart from irrigation, these dams help control flood and back transportation and recreational activities. In the US, for instance, only 3% of 80,000 dams are committed to generating electricity.
• The Three Gorges Hydropower Project, built on the Yangtze River, is the largest hydropower dam in the world with a generating capacity of 22.5 gigawatts. The idea, conceived in 1919, was put into force in 2008.
• The Itaipu Hydropower Dam in the Prana River, shared by Brazil-Paraguay, has a generating capacity of 14 gigawatts.
• The Xhiluodu Hydropower project in the Jinsha River of China not only generates electricity of 1380 gigawatts but also prevents flooding in the area.
• The Guri Hydropower Project in Venezuela boasts a power generating capacity of 10,235 megawatts using hydroelectricity.
• The Tucci Hydropower Project on the Tocantins River of Brazil is the first hydropower project in the Amazon rainforests, generating up to 8370 megawatts.
• The Grand Coulee on the Columbia River, located in Washington State was constructed in 1933 and is the largest hydropower plant in the US, with a generating capacity of 809 megawatts.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hydropower

Hydropower is a renewable source of energy unlike fossil fuels, which will soon exhaust. Let's look at the advantages of hydropower dams, and have a glance into their downsides as well.

• What makes hydropower more appealing in the economic and sustainable development strategy of countries is that they have low carbon emissions and therefore, lessen pollution.
• The outflow of water can be easily navigated through hydropower plants. Depending upon the demand or usage, the outflow of water can be altered.
• The construction of hydropower projects fastens the development of any region. This helps rural towns to turn into important centers of progress in a short span of time and will be supplied by better roads and other facilities.
• Though electricity generation does not cause any carbon emissions, the reservoirs do. The flora life beneath the reservoirs degrades to emit carbon and methane.
• The initial costs of setting up hydropower projects are high and may run up to billions of dollars.
• Hydropower is indeed a clean and viable source of energy but it cannot be denied that it does pose threats to the environment. The damming of a river stops fish from commuting in waters. Some hydropower facilities reduce the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water and that makes the aquatic life terrible.
• Generating electricity demands zillions of gallons of water. A massive volume of moving water, say, 18 gallons is required to generate electricity of just 1 kWh.
• Being solely dependent on water, climate changes and droughts severely impact the hydropower plants.

Facts About How Hydropower Works

It's delightful to know the working of hydropower plants. What exactly is the magic behind this? Quench your curiosity here! Here are the facts:

• To put it in simple terms, hydroelectric power is generated by constructing a dam or diversion structure that alters the natural flow of water.
• Though there are several types of hydropower facilities, they are all guided by the same mechanism of transforming kinetic energy into electrical energy, that is, from water flowing downstream!
• Using turbines or generators, the kinetic energy is transformed to produce electrical energy. This then feeds households, power homes, industries, and other firms.
• The pattern of elevation or the volume of water would say how much energy can be derived out of the water. If the flow is greater and higher at the head or elevation, the energy generated will be higher and vice versa.
• In hydropower plants, water flows through a pipe, also called a penstock, and the turbine blades start spinning with this. In turn, a generator starts spinning to ultimately produce electricity. Conventional hydroelectric systems like run-of-the-river systems and pumped storage systems, usually operate this way.

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