What is Hydropower?

Hydropower is a renewable source of electricity. It has been used for many centuries for many different purposes. Simply put it is the generation of electricity by using the natural source of water. Hydropower is generated by three different ways: hydroelectric power, tidal power and wave power. Let’s take a look at these three ways that hydropower is generated. The most common form of hydropower is hydroelectric power. This form of power makes up the majority of all renewable energy produced. Electricity is produced in hydroelectric dams where the force of falling water drives massive turbines. The advantage of this type of power is that not only does it produce electricity, but the dam helps collect water for our use, so it’s a power and water source in one.  Furthermore, the force of the water is so strong that megawatts of electricity can be produced to help power entire cities. There is also a large amount of control over how fast the turbines spin. If more power is needed, the controller simply opens the wicket gates more, which allows more water through the turbines and spins them faster. 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 is the second most popular type of hydro power. With this type of power, tidal energy is manufactured by the natural ebb and flow of the tide of the water. One way that tidal power works with the water is by trapping the water at high tide with a tidal barrage, then releasing it in one quick burst at low tide. The flowing water that gushes down drives turbines to produce power. The only problem with this system is that the turbines only operate every six hours. So even though the tides can be predicted and are consistent, the turbines only work once every tide. A more current tidal system that has come into play is the underwater wind turbine. With this system, large windmill-looking turbines are sunk in shallow water where they can be slowly spun by shifting tidal water. The advantage of this is that it is a version of an already technologically advanced wind turbine, meaning all the refinement has been completed. And to add more advantage, slow-moving water is just as effective as strong wind. The disadvantage to this system is that because it can only be used in shallow water where the tide activity is the greatest, it gets in the way of other economic activities such as oyster farming. Also, the turbines do cause harm to marine life on the sea floor. The last way that hydropower can be generated is by wave power. This is the newest of the three methods. In this way, power is exploited from the ocean surface wave motion. Air is displaced by waves and is driven through a generator that then spins a turbine. The result is electricity. Even though this system is new it has been estimated that there is enough energy in ocean waves to produce up to 2000 megawatts of power. It too though has environmental issues that are potentially harmful. Further study is needed for this.