Hydroelectricity

WARNING

THIS INFORMATION MAY BE SHOCKING!!!

         The first thing you need to know about hydroelectricity is what it is. Hydroelectricity is energy produced from falling water. One way we get hydroelectricity is by hydroelectric dams.

.

                                           Hydroelectric

Dam                     

       -A hydroelectric dam produces hydroelectricity for power. Hydroelectric dams produce hydroelectricity when potential energy becomes kinetic. This is changed to mechanical energy in a power plant, which is then turned into electrical energy. The electrical energy is generated by harnessing moving water into the hydro powered electricity.

Water is stored behind a dam in a reservoir. In the dam is a water intake. This is a narrow opening to a tunnel called a penstock.

Water pressure (from the weight of the water and gravity) forces the water through the penstock and onto the blades of a turbine. A turbine is similar to the blades of a child's pinwheel, but instead of breath making the pinwheel turn, the moving water pushes the blades and turns the turbine.

The turbine spins because of the force of the water. The turbine is connected to an electrical generator inside the powerhouse. The generator produces electricity that travels over long-distance power lines to homes and businesses. The entire process is called hydroelectricity.

Hydroelectricity is a form of hydropower used to produce energy. Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy  source. America’s leading renewable resource is hydropower. It’s the most efficient, reliable, and economical of power sources. About 20% of all electricity is generated by hydropower, worldwide. It provides about 10% of electricity in the United States.  

-One of the main types of hydroelectric plants is the pumped-storage hydroelectric plant. It's a facility that uses pumped reservoir water and natural current flow. These type of plants are usually only used during the peak periods, that is why they are called the peaking plants. The peak periods are the coldest parts of the winter and the hottest parts of the summer. a pumped storage plant is made with two different reservoirs-the upper and lower. After the electricity is generated it can then be pumped from the lower reservoir back up to the upper reservoir. It is then stored during the off-peak periods.

.

~In summary, hydroelectricity contributes to America's living society in many ways. As you can see (above) a very important role in the hydroelectric process is the hydroelectric dam systems. I hope there is enough information to give you a brief description on how hydroelectricity works.~