Hydro Power – Why We Need Hydro Power
Harnessing the power of water has been used for centuries for many useful purposes. Initially it was used for irrigation and operating various machines, such as windmills and dock cranes. But these days it has a more important use: as a renewable source of electricity.
There are three methods to producing hydro-power: hydro-electric energy, tidal energy. and through ocean waves.
Hydroelectric Power:
This form of hydro power accounts for over 90% of all renewable energy generated. Power is generated in large dams, where water is forced through large turbines.
What makes hydro-electric dams so popular is that they have two very important roles – to store and distribute water to various cities, and generate thousands of megawatts of electricity at the same time.
The disadvantage is the devastating effect dams can have on plants, animals and even humans. When dams are built they flood large tracts of land that were once occupied by various species and communities of people. Furthermore, the water-borne animals, such as fish can also be affected. An example would be salmon that are blocked from swimming upstream to spawn by the newly erected dam.
Tidal Power:
Using the tides is the second most common form of hydro-power. Here, electricity is generated by using the low and high tides.
It has been used in Russia and France since the 1960’s in large estuaries and bays. On method is used where water from the high tide is blocked and then channeled through turbines back into the sea as the tide goes out.
The only drawback with using such a system is that it only operates as the tide turns, which is every 6 hours.
Another, more modern tidal energy system works where large turbines (that look like wind turbine) are sunk in the shallows, and are spun by the shifting tidal currents.
Since this system is an underwater version of a wind turbine, the technology is up to date and refined. Also, water has a high density than air, so the turbines can spin in the lightest of currents.
The drawback is that the current systems can only be built in shallow water, where tidal activity is greatest. This is very limiting since many other economic activities – like oyster farming – occur in the shallows. Furthermore, these structures can damage marine life on the seafloor.
Wave Energy:
Harnessing the power of the waves is the newest type of hydro-power. The system works where surface waves, are used to displace air, which is then compressed and release through turbines, that then spins to make electricity. Two type currently exist – the first is built along the shore-line, where waves constantly break, and the second is built on floating devices in the deep oceans.
What makes this technology so appealing is it potential to harness over two thousand megawatts of power that the ocean’s waves contain.
But, like any renewable energy system, there are environmental implications. These systems can damage the various corals and other ocean species along our coastlines. And the hydraulic fluid used could cause major water pollution if it ever leaked out into the sea.
Closing thought:
Man has come up with ingenious ways to harness the power of nature to produce electricity, hydro power being one of them. Although it is an important renewable energy for the future, there is still much controversy over its long-term environmental impact.
Related Reading:
Elenco Snap Circuits Green - Alternative Energy KitLearn about energy sources and how to "think green". Build over 125 projects, using the flexibility of the award-winning Snap Circuits, to have loads ... Read More >
Alternative Energy For DummiesThe myths and facts about alternative fuels-and how they impact our lives As the price of energy continues to soar, so too has the demand for ... Read More >
Energy Alternative, TheWe are on the brink of one of the biggest revolutions the world has ever been through. It will undoubtedly change all our lives in ways that no one ca... Read More >
Alternative Energy For DummiesGet the truth about alternative energy and make it part of your life
Want to utilize cleaner, greener types of energy? This plain-English... Read More >
