As fossil fuels become scarcer and their effects take a greater toll on the environment, the need for a renewable less polluting energy source is being felt. One of the most obvious and abundant answers is using a combination of water and gravity to create electricity. This harnessing of falling water has been used for around 2500 years, ever since the Ancient Greeks did it.
Obviously, the Greeks did not use the water the to create electricity. They had no turbines, generators or power lines. These days, we do have those things. The basic idea behind a hydroelectric dam is to stop water and limit the flow of a river. This is accomplished more or less by a big wall. The wall contains a hole in the middle, called an intake hole or valve. The intake is regulated by a control gate. The gate can be raised or lowered to allow more or less water through. The amount of water directly influences the amount of force that spins the turbine that waits at the bottom of the penstock, which is basically a tube. After the spinning, the water keeps moving through the outflow, which is on the other side of the dam. The water then becomes the rest of the river, and continues flowing downstream. .
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When the water spins the turbine, or rather the blades attached to the turbine, a series of magnets also spins inside the generator. The magnets rotate past copper coils, producing alternating current (AC) by moving a bunch of electrons. The AC then runs .
through the plants" transformer, which turns the electricity into a source of higher voltage. The electricity is then sent out in power lines to wherever it is needed. .
The primary environmental impact concerns associated with hydroelectric dams does not tie into output of harmful chemicals, but more so the effects the dam has on the river it is built on. .
First all, the flow of the river is severely limited by the dam. This creates a large flooded area, called a reservoir, which changes the ecosystem of the surrounding area.
Geothermal power is not just limited to steam and hot water. ... The most common way to harness the energy is by use of a dam. ... A dam not only produces electricity, it also keeps water at a safe level. The amount of power a dam can make depends on how tall it is. ... Another type of hydropower does not require a large dam. ...
High levels of humidity made the air feel even hotter, creating an almost unbearable and, ultimately, fatal environment. 556 number of deaths was attributed to the heat, which struck the elderly" ("Issues and Controversies: Global Warming "). ... Power stations that contain turbines and generators are built near the downstream side of the dam. ... There are two types of hydroelectricity dams called dams and run-of-river, or water-diversion. But both types of dams have serious environmental effects. ... The big costs for hydropower are the expenses for building and maintaining the power st...
Hydroelectric dams are very high-tech, but simple machines. A dam simply holds back water, creating a reservoir of potential energy. On the upper side of a dam, a water gate is opened and closed to let water rush through a tunnel leading to turbines. ... Once the costly construction of the dams is finished, the only major costs are for maintenance and labor. ... But since HydroNuc uses a large body of water, our large scale dams can pay off construction costs quicker than smaller dams. ...
Building dams for hydroelectric plants can also generate many benefits. ... The majority of power plants involve large dams that flood vast areas of land to provide water storage. "When a river is blocked by a dam, conditions for aquatic life are changed, both in the stream and in the reservoir behind the dam. ... The structure of the dam and the safety thereof is tested, always asking if the dam can withstand the powers of human nature. ______________ 3. http://www.soton.ac.uk/~engenvir/environment/alternative/hydropower/hydquakes.htm Studies have also shown that behind hydro dam...
In bringing life to 25 million people and more than 2 million acres of farmland in 7 states and 2 countries, it has reached its dammed and diverted limit. ... Arizona is a very hot, dry state. ... It is a very hot country with a moderate rainfall. ... The Damming Projects: Firstly I will examine the affects on the river itself, or the Environmental affects. ... Because of this evaporation has always made a dent in the volume carried by the Colorado but since the construction of the Dams this problem has become even worse. ...
The Tempress sang that love between a boy and a girl can be so wonderful. This statement does little to define what love is except that it can be wonderful. This brings to my attention that most people do not know really what love is. The formal definition of love is an intense feeling of deep affec...
"Geothermal energy starts with hot, molten rock miles below the earths surface that heats a section of the earths crust- (Renewable Energy Primer, 2). ... From these hot springs or geysers, we can harness their steam with pipes and use the power of the steam to spin a turbine, or many turbines. ... Hydroelectric power plants are most commonly seen near waterfalls, flowing rivers, or dams. ... For example, placing a dam in a river can have negative effects on the ecosystem surrounding the dam. ...
Finally an attempt was made to make things better when a dam was constructed in 2005. This dam helped the northernmost lake expand and drop significantly in salinity. ... They also looked specifically at how the dam built in 2005 helped to improve many of the problems that were occurring. ... The climate changed up to 100 kilometers, so this meant hotter summers and colder winters. ... Since the dam was completed in 2005, two years later the rise in water went up by 2 meters. ...
They have been used for powering satellite in space and now are widely used to power hot water heaters. ... One of the most known of all of them is taking energy from a dam in a river. As the water flows through the dam it also turns a turbine. ... One of these ways is by placing a dam on the ocean beach. This way when the water is at high tide the dam will fill up. ...