Hydroelectric Power One of the earliest ways to harness power is to use the powerful flow of water. On September 30th, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, the first ever dam was built. Since then, over 2,044 billion-kilowatt hours have been produced each day, worldwide. This source of energy is being used more and more days, because it is so dependable. But, how does it actually work and produce electricity? First of all, dams are located in a position where water moves swiftly and quickly. This is very important. When the water enters the dam, it goes through a series of giant pipes. At this point, the water hit the paddles of the turbine, causing it to spin. From there, the water goes to the end of the dam, and continues its regular flow in the river. To find out where the electricity comes from, we must go back to the turbines. As the turbines spin, a long, thick stick that protrudes out the side is connected to a generator filled with magnets. This is where all the electrons are produced. Lastly, the power is then flows through power lines and reaches homes and businesses in the area. There are many advantages to using dams. Fist of all, we basically have an unlimited source of water. Also, these dams are sturdy and could last for years and years. In addition, dams don't add any pollution, which nuclear and fossil fuels do, to the environment, which is now a major problem. Lastly, it's a reliable source. Unlike wind power and solar power, we could use it day and night and we know it will be around the next day. There are a few disadvantages towards having a dam. First of all, they are very costly. Dams have a lot of expensive equipment. Also, a dam requires a lot of space to build and powerful water. Both of these requirements make finding a place to build a dam hard to find. Worst of all, when building a dam, you might have to evacuate people to do the actual building. There is an average of 80,000 people who need to be evacuated.
