The History of Hydro Power
Man has used the power generated by falling water for centuries. There is archaeological evidence of water power being used in ancient Egypt, Rome, India, China and the Middle East. Water wheels, powered by a running stream, were used to turn the equipment used to grind grain. The first time hydroelectricity was used to power a household was in England in 1878. Hydroelectricity was first successfully used to power industry in the United States in 1882, when it was used to power paper mills on the Fox River.
During the mid 20th century, large-scale hydro-electricity schemes were conceived and built in many countries so that today, approximately twenty percent of the world’s total energy is produced using the power of water.
How does Hydro-Electricity Work?
Early methods of using water to provide energy depended on a fast-running stream. Because of the unreliability of natural rivers and streams, an artificial method of providing the water needed to generate power had to be created. Water needed to be stored to create a modern hydro-electric system and this usually meant that a dam had to be built to hold vast amounts of water.
This water from the dam is passed through a series of tunnels which creates the force to turn the turbines which drive the generators to generate the electricity. Because it is pumped from the bottom of the dam, the gravitational pull is very strong and this creates enormous pressure which drives the turbines efficiently.
Hydro-electric power stations are generally built in mountainous areas where the topography lends itself to creating the dams. In countries where mountains form a large part of the natural landscape, such as New Zealand and Switzerland, hydro power accounts for more than fifty percent of all electricity generated.
Advantages of Hydro Power
Hydro-electric power stations have the capability to generate large quantities of power at a very low cost. If you compare gas and electricity prices from standard sources, you will see this is the case. It is also renewable, as the water is pumped back into the dam to be reused time and time again or is allowed to run downstream, continuing the normal flow of the river.
Once the dam has been built, hydro power is eco-friendly and the electricity generated is almost free after the system has been set up. It is a green source of power because the process of generating the power has no waste products and creates no pollution.
Hydro-electric power stations have the ability to adjust the amount of electricity being generated, making them unique in the world of alternative and sustainable power methods. It is a more reliable source of power than other forms of green power.
The dams built to supply a hydro power station can also be used for irrigation or flood control in some areas.
Disadvantages of Hydro Power
Inevitably, a lot of land is going to be affected as a large area will be flooded to create the dam. Land will be underneath the water in the dam. This can be a contentious issue as the land may be prime agricultural land, have cultural significance or contain habitats for native plants, birds and animals.
The quality of the water can be affected downstream of a dam built for hydro power and there is often a change to the amount of water available for agriculture and human use.
Hydro power is generally a large scale enterprise unless an individual landowner is going to use a running stream to generate power. This form of eco-friendly power generation requires a large investment of money and resources to get up to the production phase, after which it is a clean form of power generation.
So, what do you think about hydro power? Is it the way of the future?