ENGINEERING WATER DISTRIBUTION

Hydroelectricity

 

The Basics:

Hydroelectricity by defintion: is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. The water does not necessarily have to be falling, just moving. Hydropower facilities come in all sizes. For example you can have a damn which harnesses power from a river behind a huge wall. Others can be smaller with “dam-less” facilities, where you channel part of a stream through a power house before the water rejoins the main river.

 

How it works

Hydroelectricity is using the water to create electricity that can be used to power homes across a country. The fuel in this process is the water itself. All types of hydropower facilities are alllpowered by the kinetic energy of the flowing water as it travels downstream. The turbines and generators then convert this enery into useful electricity, this is also connected to the national grid and can be used in homes, but also by the industry and some businesses.

 

Advantages

The main of this energy source is that it is natural and renewable. This means that we can keep using it and that it will not run out- it is sustainable. It is also clean because nothing is being burned or released into the atmosphere that is harmful. The future of energy sources is renewable energy because in the foreseeable future fossil fuels and crude oil will run out. Generally hydroelectricity is much cheaper than most energy sources. Each state can also produce their own without having to rely on each other. Aswell as being renewable it also produces benefits such as flood control, irrigation and water supply.

 

Disadvantages

Dams can be quite expensive and must be built very well. The flooding of large areas of land can damage the environment considerably. If the weather is good, meaning no rain, then there may not be enough water to turn turbines. The change in environment means that if built in a river or by a river, then the fish are not able to adapt to the environment quickly enough meaning they start to die, this could cause a problem for local people if one of their main food sources is the fish.

 

Conclusion

  In conclusion, after researching the engineering, practicalities and ethics of hydropower, we believe that it is vastly beneficial for those involved as it is a reliable, sustainable source of electricity and does not produced pollutants or greenhouse gases. The creation of dams for hydroelectric power, such as the Hoover dam, can cause excessive damage to the local environment in both the short and long term; however building dams both reduces flood and drought risk and also allows us to harness the power of water to produce renewable energy. Our idea to filter the water as well as using it to produce electricity is very energy efficient as the water flow creates the electricity to power the filter. Despite the immediate cost of building a hydroelectric dam as well as the damage caused to the environment, we believe that hydroelectric power is the way forward as it is renewable, sustainable and can become self sufficient, as well as preventing drought and flooding which can cause even greater damage to ecosystems in the future.