Hydropower Electricity From Moving Water

advertisement

http://dnrc.mt.gov/wrd/water_proj/hydro/Tostondam.jpg

It is a renewable source of energy

Produces energy through hydroelectric power http://www.tehrantimes.com/News/10506/03_GEORGIA%20HYDRO.jpg

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

How it functions

http://www.electrical-res.com/EX/10-16-08/hydroelectric_power_plant.gif

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

How it functions

The generator turns the water’s kinetic energy into energy we can use

The powerhouse lets the dam be selfsustaining

The transformer takes the energy produced and makes it into useable energy for homes and businesses

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

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,%2

0East%20Coast%20Demerara%20to%20prevent%20water%20entering%20residential%20areas.JPG

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

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 selfcleanse any longer.

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!!!

Average reconstruction cost: $5 million

Reconstruction is a two-phase process

Secondary spillway built (first phase)

Granite blocks fixed because tree roots ruin them

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

Water Turbidity

Flooding

Fish migration is disturbed

Insect disease abundance

Habitats destroyed

Uncertainty

Pros: Environment

High net energy

High efficiency

No CO2 during operations in temperate areas

Can provide flood control below dam

Provides irrigation water

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=BIF

D&adlt=strict#focal=5249bbf4bd6015e1b41e92abc0251da5&furl=http

%3A%2F%2Fwww.hazchek.com%2Fimages%2Fflood2.jpg

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

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

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.

 http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_a ctivities/SecInfo/HydroS.pdf

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html

http://users.owt.com/chubbard/gcdam/ht ml/hydro.html

http://www.naturalstandard.com/indexabstract.asp?createabstract=/monographs/enviro/genericdams.asp

Sources

 http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=flood

&form=QBIR&qs=n&sc=8-

5&adlt=strict#focal=afa3056319fee217bd765c4 dff20b141&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fpasc.met.psu.e

du%2FPA_Climatologist%2Fextreme%2FFloods%

2Fflood%2520house%2520pic.jpg

http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch37

4/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/arch37

4/winter2001/dbiggs/enviro.html

 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/hy dro/index.html

http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/eianew/eia/dams%20and%20 development/kbase/contrib/soc195.pdf

http://www.wickedlocal.com/medford/features/x19613

6512/State-in-process-of-rebuilding-Mystic-Lakes-dam http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.a

spx?P=G1548

Download