Thursday, March 17, 2011

Dam!


Moving through the renewable energy resources, we are now going to begin discussing hydroelectric power. Hydro is an ancient Greek word for water and hydroelectric is using water to create electricity. Usually this means damming a river in order to channel the water of that river through a turbine which turns the shaft of a generator creating an electric current.

BlogWork

Watch the video below and describe how hydroelectricity works.
Extra credit: Research Micro hydroelectric power and describe it.

13 comments:

ikc said...

Worldwide, hydropower plants produce about 24 percent of the world's electricity and supply more than 1 billion people with power. The world's hydropower plants output a combined total of 675,000 megawatts

HurricaneSmokey said...

Hydroelectricity converts falling water into electrons and uses it to create energy. Most Hydro electric stations use waterfalls or a dam. The dams are used to build water up so when they open it up the force will be stronger. As the water flows downward the force of it increases which turns the turbine. The turbine of course in connected to the generator. As the generator spins the magnets. After that the electrons begin to flow and that produces electricity from clean water.

el muchos said...

Hydroelectric plants use the power of moving water to produce electricity. It is common for these plans to be located near waterfalls, rapids, or dams. Hydroelectric plans funnel water through a tube, which they use to spin a Turbine connected to a generator. Micro Hydroelectric power is the same thing except much smaller. It can use water from streams, and usually powers one house.

L said...

Hydro-power works a lot like the traditional way of making electricity by using coal; you use water to turn a turbine that works a generator to move electrons and make electricity. The difference here is the form that the water takes. The traditional way uses steam but here it is simply moving or falling water that turns the turbine. The best part is that after the water is done it can flow back into the river.

thing One! said...

At the speed 37.26 miles per hour 170thousand cubic meters of water flow, each minute! Then the falling water is converted into electrons by using hydroelectric plants. Hydroelectric plants are mostly located near dams and waterfalls. How the plant works is there is a long tube where the water flows in, then it hits the turbine that is connected to the generator, and that makes electricity!

kujo93 said...

First of all the water flows into a pipe. With the pipe the water goes down to the turbine or waterweel. The water rotates the turbine conected to the generator. In the generator the roater is rapidly spun by the turbine. there are large electro magnets attached to the roater. These magnets are in copper wire coils. The generator roater will spin the magnets, creating a flow of electricity. This is run through transformers (no, not the robot cars) and sent through power lines. That's how dams work..... Now Leave Me Alone To Go Eat My Pizza!

Although I wonder, what happens to the fisheys?

penguinlogicrocks said...

Hydropower is a way of getting power that uses gravity. Lets say I was a business owner that just invested in hydropower. If I could I would find a waterfall to plan my site, but I might also put up a dam. If I got a spot I would build a giant hydro power plant. The basics of the plant are, water goes into a tube in the beginning, and then gets more momentum as it goes down because of gravity. It reaches a turbine, and spins it. The turbine is connected to a electric generator. The accesses water is deposited back into the river in the case of a dam and at the bottom of the waterfall if I had a waterfall.

I said...

Hydroelectricity is created when hydroelectric stations convert the energy from running water into electricity. They achieve this by placing the power station right below where the water pressure is. The water travels through a tube and hit a turbine, causing it to spin. The turbine is connected to the generator. Then the water proceeds on with the flow of the river.
Usually, the water pressure is man made with dams. One side is higher up than the other, causing a slant, meaning water pressure. Sometimes, though, the stations are placed under rapids and waterfalls.
A micro hydroelectric power is just like hydroelectric power, except smaller. This means it can be used for personal uses, such as to generate one house. It is similar to a concept of a solar panel installed on someone's roof.

Thing Two :) said...

Hydroelectric stations use moving water to make electricity. Hydroelectric plants are built next to waterfalls ,dams or rapids. The force from the water spins turbine. The turbine is connected to the generator that makes electricity while it spins.

Bobby said...

Hydroelectric power is when water is directed from a river,bay, to a turbine, the only difference between a coal plant and a hydroelectric plant is that the coal plant heats water. Hydroelectric plants produce about one/fourth of the worlds energy

cookie said...

Hydroelectric plants use waterfalls or dams to creating the power needed to creating the driving force. The water flows into a pipe that leads down to a turbine water wheel. Large magnets are connects to the router, so as the turbine spins a stream of electrons is created in coil springs. These things create electricity thats voltage can be raised to a hight level that is then sent across power lines. After all of this the water has finished its job and flows right back into the stream before starting the process all over again.

danceMAGICdance said...

Hydroelectic Power is converting the energy of falling water into the flow of electrons, or electricity. A dam is used in a river to get the electrons. Water goes inside a pipe in the dam that puts it in a turbine water wheel. Water pressure increases as it goes down the pipe faster. The pressure drives the turbine that is attached to a generator. Electrons are made, making electricity.

bloodblisterlawsuit said...

Hydroelectric plants use either a natural slope like a waterfall or a man-made slope to create the water pressure needed to turn a turbine.The water travels through pipes building pressure slowly. Near the end of the pipe the water turns a turbine. The turbine moves magnets and there's cooper involved and then there is electricity. The electricity some how gets a higher voltage and is then sent away to power houses.