Hydroelectric Energy

1. Hydroelectric Energy Brought to you by Ali, George, & Mohammed

2. History • Nearly 2000 years ago the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour • - In the 1700's, hydropower was broadly used for milling of lumber and grain and for pumping irrigation water • - Appleton, Wisconsin became the first operational hydroelectric generating station in the United States, in 1882, producing 12.5 kilowatts (kW) of power

3. Renewable vs. Non-Renewable • Hydroelectric – Renewable • Why? Because water is always flowing due to gravity. And it uses the earths water cycle to generate electricity. • Water has been around for million of years. Used and reused for a long period of time.

4. Primary Uses • ELECTRICITY!!!

5. Hydroelectricity Source • Hydroelectricity is produced by the flow of water from precipitation from the water cycle and is pulled downstream towards the ocean, though dams by way of gravity. • Hydroelectricity is the conversion of kinetic energy (flow of water) into Electric (Conduction of turbine)

7. Advantages to hydroelectric power: • Fuel is not burned so there is minimal pollution • Water to run the power plant is provided free by nature • Hydropower plays a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions • Relatively low operations and maintenance costs • The technology is reliable and proven over time • It's renewable - rainfall renews the water in the reservoir, so the fuel is almost always there • Water can be stored, waiting to be used in peak times

8. Disadvantages to hydroelectric power: • High investment costs • Hydrology dependent (precipitation) • In some cases, flooding of land and wildlife habitat • In some cases, loss or modification of fish habitat • In some cases, changes in reservoir and stream water quality • In some cases, displacement of local populations.

9. Pollution: • Methane is produced from the decompositions of plants due to the formation of reservoirs that flood river valleys. Hydroelectric dams do not burn any fuel regularly, so there is not a whole lot of pollution beside ecological waste like dead plants, fish, and sediment from land erosion from the formation of the reservoir.

10. World Use • Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source of energy. • Hydropower represents 19% of total electricity production. • China is the largest producer of hydroelectricity, followed by Canada, Brazil, and the United States • Approximately two-thirds of the economically feasible potential remains to be developed. Untapped hydro resources are still abundant in Latin America, Central Africa, India and China. • One of the world's largest hydro plants is at Three Gorges on China's Yangtze River • The biggest hydro plant in the United States is located at the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in northern Washington. • Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. It's a clean fuel source that is renewable yearly by snow and rainfall.

11. Hydroelectric Use in the World

12. News • Brazil generates roughly 80% of tis electricity from the hydropower plants. Lack of rain in recent months have caused blackouts and sweltering heat weeks. • Severe droughts have led to decrease in water inflow to Hydroelectric power industries over the past few years, limiting the ability to generate electricity. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj4dZM4SIls

13. Sources • http://water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html • http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/hydroelectric-energy/?ar_a=1 • Georges Brains • http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/how-hydroelectric-energy.html • http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/hydro.html • http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/hydropower**