Energy from moving water

Hydro-power generates electricity

Hydro-power is the largest renewable energy source for electricity generation in the United States. In 2014, hydropower accounted for about 6% of total U.S. electricity generation and 48% of generation from all renewable.

Because the source of hydroelectric power is water, hydroelectric power plants are usually located on or near a water source.

Hydro-power relies on the water cycle

Understanding the water cycle is important to understanding hydropower. There are three steps in the water cycle:

• Solar energy heats water on the surface, causing it to evaporate.
• Water vapor condenses into clouds and falls as precipitation (rain, snow, etc.).
• Water flows through rivers back into the oceans, where it can evaporate and begin the cycle over again.

Mechanical energy is harnessed from moving water

The amount of available energy in moving water is determined by the volume of flow and the change in elevation (or fall) from one point to another. Swiftly flowing water in a big river, like the Columbia River that forms the border between Oregon and Washington, carries a great deal of energy in its flow. Water descending rapidly from a high point, like Niagara Falls in New York, also has substantial energy in its flow.

At both Niagara Falls and the Columbia River, water flows through a pipe, or penstock, then pushes against and turns blades in a turbine to spin a generator to produce electricity. In a run-of-the-river system, the force of the current applies the needed pressure, while in a storage system, water is accumulated in reservoirs created by dams, then released as needed to generate electricity.

History of hydropower

Hydropower is one of the oldest sources of energy. Hydropower was used thousands of years ago to turn paddle wheels to help grind grain. The nation's first industrial use of hydropower to generate electricity occurred in 1880, when 16 brush-arc lamps were powered using a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The first U.S. hydroelectric power plant opened on the Fox River near Appleton, Wisconsin, on September 30, 1882.

sources:http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=hydropower_home