Hydropower Electricity From Moving Water

1. HydropowerElectricity From Moving Water Whitney Baker Laura Livesay http://dnrc.mt.gov/wrd/water_proj/hydro/Tostondam.jpg

2. Main Goal of Hydropower • It is a renewable source of energy • Produces energy through hydroelectric power http://www.tehrantimes.com/News/10506/03_GEORGIA%20HYDRO.jpg

3. Making a Difference • There is minimal pollution • Reduces greenhouse gases • It is renewable and clean • The water used to power the plant is free from nature http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Haditha_dam.png

4. How it functions http://www.electrical-res.com/EX/10-16-08/hydroelectric_power_plant.gif

5. How it functions • The sluice gates measure the flow rate in open channels and regulates the water flow • The penstock is the pipe inside the structure that delivers water to hydraulic turbines • The turbines spin when the water is let through

6. How it functions • The generator turns the water’s kinetic energy into energy we can use • The powerhouse lets the dam be self-sustaining • The transformer takes the energy produced and makes it into useable energy for homes and businesses

7. Sites Left to Install New Capacity • There aren’t many big places left to install hydropower plants. • They can install low head hydropower plants almost anywhere. http://www.green-trust.org/hydro.htm

8. The Ponds • The pond builds up sediment • It keeps the pond from storing water • The sediment has to be dredged to get rid of this problem http://www.gina.gov.gy/dailyphoto/081215/The%20dam%20being%20constructed%20aback%20Buxton,%20East%20Coast%20Demerara%20to%20prevent%20water%20entering%20residential%20areas.JPG

9. Life Expectancy • 50-100 years http://cleantechlawandbusiness.com/cleanbeta/wpcontent/gallery/cache/496__570x420_johnstown-dam-breaks.jpg

10. Negatives The risk of failure: When the Big Bay Dam in Mississippi broke in 2004, it destroyed over 50 homes. Dams can destroy wildlife habitats, which means that all the species living there are without homes. Dams can also drain wetlands and cause river pollution by reducing the river flow to such a low level that the river is not able to self-cleanse any longer.

11. Technological Obstacles Must have river with place for water to go upstream Must have room for machinery Must have resources to build it If machinery malfunctions the dam is pointless! Must have way to get electricity to homes If machine rooms flood an electric SHOCK can occur!!!

12. If the Dams Have to be Redone • Average reconstruction cost: $5 million • Reconstruction is a two-phase process • Secondary spillway built (first phase) • Granite blocks fixed because tree roots ruin them

13. The U.S. generates only 7-10% of the electrical supply by hydropower Hydropower Percentage http://www.electrical-res.com/EX/10-18-08/hw_power_line.jpg

14. Down-Stream Ecologies • Water Turbidity • Flooding • Fish migration is disturbed • Insect disease abundance • Habitats destroyed • Uncertainty

15. Pros: Environment • High net energy • High efficiency • No CO2 during operations in temperate areas • Can provide flood control below dam • Provides irrigation water

16. Cons: Environment Flooding land High CO2 emissions from rapid biomass decay in shallow tropical reservoirs Decreases fish harvest below dam Decreases flow of natural fertilizer to land below dam http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=flooding+by+dam&FORM=BIFD&adlt=strict#focal=5249bbf4bd6015e1b41e92abc0251da5&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hazchek.com%2Fimages%2Fflood2.jpg

17. Economic Costs Dams are very expensive to build and may not provide sufficiently economical electrical power generation, water supply, or irrigation. http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/99/98/999804_f781b8af.jpg

18. Political Obstacles It can cause upstream flooding Lowers levels of water downstream Countries get into wars or disagreements about this http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00674/china-dam-flooding_674281c.jpg

19. Types of Hydropower Plants Conventional: one-way water flow Run-of-River: little, or no, stored water. Weather changes cause fluctuations in power output. Storage: storage to offset seasonal changes…constant supply of electricity. Large dams enough storage for years. Pumped Storage: reuse water. After it is used it flows into reservoir, then some pumped back up and reused.

20. Sources • http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/SecInfo/HydroS.pdf • http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html • http://users.owt.com/chubbard/gcdam/html/hydro.html • http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/enviro/generic-dams.asp

21. Sources http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=flood&form=QBIR&qs=n&sc=8-5&adlt=strict#focal=afa3056319fee217bd765c4dff20b141&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fpasc.met.psu.edu%2FPA_Climatologist%2Fextreme%2FFloods%2Fflood%2520house%2520pic.jpg http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch374/winter2001/dbiggs/three.html http://www.educationcenteronline.org/articles/Engineering-Careers/Problems-and-Benfits-of-Building-a-Dam.html http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch374/winter2001/dbiggs/enviro.html

22. Sources • http://www.green-trust.org/hydro.htm • http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/Dams.html • http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/1476 • http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewables/hydro/index.html • http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/eianew/eia/dams%20and%20development/kbase/contrib/soc195.pdf • http://www.wickedlocal.com/medford/features/x196136512/State-in-process-of-rebuilding-Mystic-Lakes-dam • http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G1548