Flowing Water By Mike, Holt, Natalie, Claire, Megan.

Flowing Water

By Mike, Holt, Natalie, Claire, Megan

HydropowerHydropower is power derived from the energy of flowing water that can

be harnessed for a number of purposes.

Historically, hydropower has been used for irrigation in croplands, factories, and operation of various machines.

Currently, we are leaning toward electricity from hydropower because of it’s high net energy and efficient use.

Large Scale HydropowerLarge Scale utilizes a high dam that is built across a large river to create a reservoir upstream of the dam. The dam lets some of the water through that is stored in the reservoir flow through huge pipes where the flowing water spins turbines connected to generators that create electricity.

Small Scale HydropowerSmall scale hydropower consists of sometimes a low dam, turbine

wheel, or generator with no reservoir built up. Typically this hydropower is used in remote areas across small streams where there is little environmental impact and water diversion from the

hydropower system.

Pumped Storage HydropowerWater from a higher reservoir flows water through a plant in a lower reservoir where they spin turbines creating electricity. Then pumps using surplus electricity from a conventional power plant pump water from the lower lake or a reservoir to the reservoir at a higher elevation. When more electricity is needed, water in the upper reservoir is released where it flows through turbines and generates more electricity on it’s return to the lower reservoir.

Hydropower World UseHydropower contributes to 6% of the world’s commercial energy use. 3-4% in the United States. It makes 20% of the world’s electricity; other countries have found ways to rely mostly on flowing water as a energy source: Norway obtains 99% of its electricity from hydropower, New Zealand is 75%, and China is 25%.

Advantages and DisadvantagesAdvantages Disadvantages•Moderate to high net energy•High efficiency (80%)•Low cost electricity•Long life span•No CO2 emissions during production•Provides flood control below dam•Year round irrigation to cropland•Reservoir is useful for fishing and recreation

•High construction cost•High environmental impact•High CO2 emission from biomass decay in shallow tropical areas•Floods natural areas•Converts land habitat to lake habitat•Danger of collapse•Uproots people•Decreases fish harvest below dam•Decreases flow of natural fertilizers below dam

“Improving the efficiency of hydropower stations”

This article states that Hydropower provides 16% of Europes Electricity but most of their hydropower plants are old and outdated. By redesigning their runners, the propeller part of the turbine which spins to produce the energy, they can obtain more power from the turbines. So various plants are taking on this redesigning project which could enable the plant to store even more power and manage high peak demands.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-03/e-ite031203.php

Let water power your cell phone?

Researchers from the University of Alberta have found a way to produce electricity by flowing, pressurized water in which various uses would apply from powering a cell phone to a national grid line. When talking about small appliances like cell phones and calculators, they have managed to create electricity by flowing water through tiny micro-channels which act as microscopic hydro plants creating power.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uoa-lwp101403.php

Sources

Wikipedia.com

Eurekalert.com

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