Hydropower

Uses for Hydropower

Water has been used to power machinery for hundreds of years—water wheels have been used to grind grain into flour and pound linen to be turned into paper ever since ancient times! Today, hydropower usually refers to dams that have been built to generate electricity. Hydroelectric power accounts for about 19% of the world’s electricity, according to the US Geological Survey.

Hydroelectric energy is produced by the force of falling water. When water builds up behind a high dam, it accumulates potential energy. This is transformed into mechanical energy when the water is released and strikes the blades of a turbine. The turbine’s rotation spins electromagnets that generate a current in stationary coils of wire. Finally, the current is put through a transformer where the voltage is increased for long-distance transmission over power lines.

The power of water is harnessed to provide electricity for our homes, make machines work and more.

Demand for Hydropower

Globally, hydropower supplies nearly one-fifth of the world’s energy each year, making it the most commonly used renewable energy source. Hydroelectric power generates more electricity worldwide than solar, wind, biomass and all other renewable sources combined.

And hydropower may be gaining popularity. China’s Three Gorges Dam will be the largest power plant in the world and is expected to produce 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. And in early 2010, the Brazilian government approved plans for a $17 billion hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest.