Hydroelectric Energy

The largest hydroelectric dam in the world is Rogun in Tajikistan.(11) It stands over 1000 feet tall. Hydroelectric energy is one of many energy sources used in the world. In this report there is going to be information about how hydroelectric energy works, its pros and cons, where dams are built, and more about making electricity form water.

To make electricity this way, the water is held in a reservoir, behind the dam, The water close to the control gates is where the intake is, and when the control gates open, the water rushes through the penstock and turns the turbine. After the water does so, it goes through the outflow into the river. The turbine spins the generator, and the electricity goes to the transformer in the powerhouse. Then the transformer transforms the electricity into a usable form, and the electricity travels through the power lines and goes to homes and businesses.(2)

One more thing that is needed is location. To build a dam there has to be valleys and rivers. This will help with the building of the dam. There has to be great location or it won’t work. The land cannot be flat, or there is no way to build a dam. Canada, USA, the former USSR, Brazil, China, Norway, Japan, Sweden, India, and France all use hydroelectric energy. These countries are in order from the largest number of kilowatts in billions that are used each year.(12)

There are advantages and disadvantages of using hydroelectric energy. Here are some of the advantages. It is renewable, clean, non-polluting, and it prevents floods. Not all dams produce electricity, but they prevent flooding, and others do both.(13)

As said, there are advantages of using hydroelectric energy. There are disadvantages too. Here are some of the disadvantages. Hydroelectric dams can harm many species that live on the area, the land around the dam can be destroyed, and the furious turbines will kill the fish.

As said before, hydroelectric energy is one of many sources of electricity in the world. The future of hydropower is looking like it will still be used in the next century or more, because the world will still have plenty of running water and the need for lots of non-polluting energy.(13)

Sources
1. “Images of Dams”, Dams and Hydroelectric http://www.lcra.org/water/dams.html
2. “The Power of Water” “Simple Beginnings” How Hydropower Plants Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plantf1.htm
3. Where can I lean about hydroelectric dams? “What is a dam and how do they make hydroelectricity? “What is a Dam” Hydroelectric Power (Dams) http://www.ajkids.com
4.“Historical Timeline” Hydropower and Hydroelectricity http://environment.about.com/library/weekly/blrenew6.htm
5. Introduction to Hydropower http://www.nrel.gov/lav/pao/hydroelectric.html
6. “HYDROELECTRIC DAMS: How They Work” Hydroelectric Dams http://waterpower.hypermart.net/hdams.html
7. HydroElectricDams.com http://tempserver.com/hydroelectricdams.html
8. “Powering the World: The Energy that Fuels Us” Think Quest http://library.thinkquest.org/17531/hydro.html
9. “HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER” Energy Fact Sheet http://www.iclei.org/efacts/hydroele.htm
10. How Hydropower Plants Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant.htm
11. Dam Multimedia http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaList.asp?pg=6&mod=2&ti=761561327
12. “Energy” FACTS ABOUT HYDROPOWER http://wvic.com?hydro-facts.htm
13. “The future of hydropower” “Advantages of hydropower” “Hydropower’s effects on the environment ”http://library.thinkquest.org/17531/hydro.html#future
http://www.webmutations.com/energy/reports/present/rephydro.html