N-er-G Talks Hydroelectric Power

Hoover Dam Tour 2009

Hydro electric energy is one of the most well-known sources of power generation. While hydro electricity made up a large portion the US power supply in the 50’s and 60’s, hydro electric power generation has become less popular as fossil fuel generation became more common. Like wind, solar geothermal and more hydro electric power generation is a clean way to convert mechanical power into electricity. Most people know how hydro electric power plants work but we wanted to do a write-up on it anyway as it is an important source of electricity, especially in the western part of the US.

Hydro electric power plants work by converting mechanical energy into electricity. Basically, hydro electric plants use the energy from falling water to spin turbines which are connected to electric generators. These generators send the electricity generated to transformers for increasing the voltage and distribution it to millions of consumers in the surrounding cities.

Typically, hydro electric plants (dams) are built on large rivers, where they can collect water in large reservoirs. The water collected behind the dam of hydro electric plants stores potential energy. The potential energy is then converted to kinetic energy when the stored water is allowed to flow down a channel to spin a turbine. The kinetic energy of the water spins a turbine, which uses the kinetic energy to generate electricity.

Probably the most common hydro electric power plant in the United States is Hoover Dam, located on the Colorado River, where half of the dam lies in Arizona and the other half in Nevada. The Hoover Dam supplies electricity to cities in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. Many smaller dams on the Colorado River, downstream from the Hoover Dam, are used to generate electricity for other cities in Southern California and Mexico.

There are many hydro electric power plants located all over the United States. The electricity generated by these plants is considered to be clean because virtually no emissions or pollutants are released during the energy generation process. Hydro electric energy is thought of as a sustainable energy source, although research shows that the natural water sources are drying up. The Hoover Dam reservoir measures 15 meters lower this year than in previous years. And with nuclear power generation and fossil fuel generation as competitors, hydro electricity supplies approximately 10% of the United States’ consumed energy.