Hydro Electric Power
Hydroelectric power: The World's Established Renewable Energy Resource
For over a century, hydroelectric power has been used to generate electricity from falling water. The capacity to produce this energy is dependent on both the available flow and the height from which it falls. Hydroelectric dams create height for the water to fall and provide storage. In general, the higher the dam, the more potential energy is available. Building up behind a high dam, water accumulates potential energy. The potential energy is then converted to kinetic energy where it can perform work to power a generator. Hydroelectric power can come in many forms, such as utilizing oceanic waves and currents, shoreline waves, and tidal energy. However, I would like to focus on utilizing fresh water sources, in particular dammed rivers. Hydroelectric power utilizes the water in flowing rivers, a renewable resource, to conduct electricity. Humans have harnessed water for performing work for centuries. Now, it is our most important and widely used renewable resource. Despite being a renewable, no-emission power source, it is not without its environmental impacts. Currently the most widely used type of renewable energy, hydroelectricity accounts for over 20% of the world's electricity. In Canada it constitutes for over 60 per cent of its power. Canada is the world leader of hydroelectricity production producing 353,000 GWh in 2002. This is followed by the U.S., which produced 300,000 GWh, followed by Brazil, China, Russia, and then Norway. However the energy produced is not representative of the countries total energy consumption. For example, Norway is sixth on the list of hydroelectric energy production, yet nearly 100 per cent of its energy comes from hydroelectric power. Although the U.S. is number two in hydroelectric energy production only about 7 per cent of its energy consumption comes from hydroelectric energy (1 Environment Canada). In Brazil the Itaipu Dam is currently the
For over a century, hydroelectric power has been used to generate electricity from falling water. The capacity to produce this energy is dependent on both the available flow and the height from which it falls. Hydroelectric dams create height for the water to fall and provide storage. In general, the higher the dam, the more potential energy is available. Building up behind a high dam, water accumulates potential energy. The potential energy is then converted to kinetic energy where it can perform work to power a generator. Hydroelectric power can come in many forms, such as utilizing oceanic waves and currents, shoreline waves, and tidal energy. However, I would like to focus on utilizing fresh water sources, in particular dammed rivers. Hydroelectric power utilizes the water in flowing rivers, a renewable resource, to conduct electricity. Humans have harnessed water for performing work for centuries. Now, it is our most important and widely used renewable resource. Despite being a renewable, no-emission power source, it is not without its environmental impacts. Currently the most widely used type of renewable energy, hydroelectricity accounts for over 20% of the world's electricity. In Canada it constitutes for over 60 per cent of its power. Canada is the world leader of hydroelectricity production producing 353,000 GWh in 2002. This is followed by the U.S., which produced 300,000 GWh, followed by Brazil, China, Russia, and then Norway. However the energy produced is not representative of the countries total energy consumption. For example, Norway is sixth on the list of hydroelectric energy production, yet nearly 100 per cent of its energy comes from hydroelectric power. Although the U.S. is number two in hydroelectric energy production only about 7 per cent of its energy consumption comes from hydroelectric energy (1 Environment Canada). In Brazil the Itaipu Dam is currently the