Sources of Energy
Water
Lesson 24
Recap Of Previous Lesson
• How is water a source of energy?
• Is water a Renewable source of energy?
• How is power harnessed from this source?
• Is it an old or new technology?
• Which country uses it most?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages of
hydroelectricity?
Homework: Energy 101 Hydropower
https://youtu.be/tpigNNTQix8
• What is Hydroelectric Power?
• Hydroelectric power is when you harness the energy of moving water and make electricity.
• What are the three advantages of Hydroelectricity?
• Hydroelectricity is clean, renewable and affordable.
• How is this electricity made?
• When water flows from a higher elevation to a lower elevation, generators convert this movement into electricity
(mechanical energy converts into electrical energy.)
• How long has America been using Hydropower to generate electricity?
• America has been using Hydropower to generate electricity for more than 100 years.
• How much of the electricity is generated from it
• 7 percent of America's energy is generated through Hydropower.
• What are the ways/ technologies in which Hydropower can generate electricity?
Homework Continued
• What are the ways/ technologies in which Hydropower can
generate electricity?
Three different hydroelectric technologies are:
Impoundment: This technology uses dams. The impoundments store
water in a reservoir. When it is released, it flows through and spins a
turbine in a generator that produces electricity
Diversion: diverts a part of the river through a canal or pipe using the
river's natural flow to spin the turbine. Usually, you don't need a dam
for this technology.
Pumped storage Hydropower: works like a massive battery. To charge
the battery, water is backed up into the reservoir during periods of
low energy use, often during the night when people use fewer
appliances.
• What are the innovations in Hydropower?
There are a lot of innovations in the pipeline for this technology.
Upgrading technology to increase the efficiency of turbines and generators
The operators of neighboring facilities are working together instead of each dam working
alone to optimize energy production.
The government is planning to add generators to or retrofit dams that were built without
generators
• What percentage of dams in the US are used to make electricity?
Less than 3Percent of dams in the US are used to make electricity.
• What are the new technologies in this field?
They are thinking of technology that is going to reduce environmental damage, such as fish-
friendly turbines.
Learning Goals for this lesson
• What is hydro electricity?
• What are the different types of generators
• Source:Hydroelectricity Facts for Kids (kiddle.co)
What is Hydro electricity?
Hydroelectricity is electricity that is made
by the movement of water. It is usually
made with dams that block a river to make
a reservoir or collect water that is pumped
there. When the water is "let go", the huge
pressure behind the dam forces the water
down pipes that lead to a turbine. This
causes the turbine to turn, which turns a
generator which makes electricity. This use
of renewable energy produces less
pollution than steam engines do. Some
Image: Koepchenwerk01
places such as Norway and Quebec get
most of their electricity this way.
The four types of Generating methods
1. Conventional (dams)
2. Pumped-storage
3. Run-of-the-river
4. Tide
1. Conventional power (dams)
Most hydroelectric power comes from the
potential energy of dammed water driving a
water turbine and generator. The power
extracted from the water depends on the
volume and on the difference in height
between the source and the water's
outflow. This height difference is called the
head. A large pipe (the "penstock") delivers
water from the reservoir to the turbine.
2. Pumped-storage
This method produces electricity to supply high
peak demands by moving water between
reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low
electrical demand, the excess generation capacity
is used to pump water into the higher reservoir.
When the demand becomes greater, water is
released back into the lower reservoir through a
turbine. Pumped-storage schemes currently
provide the most commercially important means
of large-scale grid energy storage and improve the
daily capacity factor of the generation system.
3. Run-of-the-river
Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are
those with small or no reservoir capacity,
so that only the water coming from
upstream is available for generation at
that moment, and any oversupply must
pass unused. A constant supply of water
from a lake or existing reservoir upstream
is a significant advantage in choosing
sites for run-of-the-river. In the United
States, run of the river hydropower could
potentially provide 60,000 megawatts
(80,000,000 hp) (about 13.7% of total use
in 2011 if continuously available).
4. Tide
A tidal power station makes use of the daily rise
and fall of ocean water due to tides; such sources
are highly predictable, and if conditions permit
construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable
to generate power during high demand periods.
Less common types of hydro schemes use water's
kinetic energy or undammed sources such as
undershot water wheels.
Tidal power is viable in a relatively small number of
locations around the world. In Great Britain, there
are eight sites that could be developed, which have
the potential to generate 20% of the electricity
used in 2012.
Image: Itaipu Décembre 2007 - Vue Générale (kiddle.co)
In your notebook make a graphic organizer on hydro
power. Please include the various types of hydro
electricity.
