| The 3 Main Types Of Hydro Power |
| Written by Tim McDonald | |
| Wednesday, 06 May 2009 | |
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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.
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. Nowadays hydro-power is generated in 3 different ways: hydroelectric power, tidal power, and wave power. Hydroelectricity: Hydro-electric dams produced up to 90% of the world's alternative energy, so it plays a vital role. Here, dams release water through huge turbines, which are spun by the force of the water. 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. But there a number of environmental and social concerns with building these large dams. They affect the spawning patterns of various fish, they can wipe out entire communities as they flood the land, and destroy natural vegetation. Using The Tides: The second most popular type of hydro power, tidal energy is produced by currents caused from the natural ebb and flow of the tide. 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. Because it works with the tides, the system is very predicable. However this is also its pitfall, since it only works every 6 hours when the tides changes. A second, more recent, tidal system looks very much like an underwater wind turbine. Large windmill like turbines are sunk in shallow water, where they are slowly spun by shifting tidal water. The nice thing about this tidal system is that the technology is advanced and derived from our land-based wind turbines. And water is much denser than air, meaning it takes only a small current to get the turbine spinning. The problem is these turbines can only be built in shallow sea floors, where marine life can be damaged and other enterprises, such as oyster farming, is affected. 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. The good thing about using the ocean's waves is that they have the equivalent kinetic energy of 2 million kilowatts of electricity. 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: Over the years we have come up with advanced methods of using water to produce power. Though there are a variety of benefits to using this kind of renewable energy, there are still a number of social and environmental concerns. The Article Author: Tim McDonald has been making his own solar and wind power since June 2008. He suggests you read this Earth4Energy review before learning how to make your own DIY Renewable Energy at home and cutting your power in half. |
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