Hydroelectric
About Micro Hydro The potential energy of falling water, captured and converted to mechanical energy by waterwheels, powered the start of the Industrial Revolution. Wherever sufficient head, or change in elevation, could be found, rivers and streams were dammed and mills were built. In the mid 1800's, the water wheel gave way to the water turbine. This device uses jets of water to spin the cup shaped blades of the turbine which drives an alternator, generating electricity.
Appropriate Technology for Community and Environment (APACE) APACE is a registered charity which works closely with villagers in the Pacific and South East Asian regions to design and install micro-hydro electricity systems catering to their needs. The main focus is on community development based on appropriate technologies. APACE is currently involved in renewable energy programs affecting more than 150 rural communities.
Eichert Engineering (EE) Eichert Engineering (EE) is a 8 year old Civil Engineering firm headed by the past Director (17 years) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hydrologic Engineering Center who personally developed the industry standard HEC-2 and HEC-5 programs. EE is currently involved primarily in supporting the EE version of the HEC-5 computer program titled "Simulation of flood control and conservation systems". The HEC-5 program simulates the operation of a reservoir or reservoir system for flood control, hydropower, and water supply for reservoir configurations defined by input data using either English or Metric units for time steps of 1 minute to one month.
Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1990 - Hydroelectric Power Water Use Water used for hydroelectric power generation is classified as an instream use and refers to the water used in the generation of electricity at plants where the turbine generators are driven by falling water. Estimates of water used for hydroelectric power generation may vary because of the way individual estimates are made of the quantities of water passed through the plants. If the water is passed through the plants only one time, then accurate estimates of water use can be obtained by streamflow measurements and gate openings. However, it is difficult to define and obtain net water use at pumped-storage hydroelectric plants because the same water is recycled a number of times. Pumped-storage plants usually generate electric energy during peak-load periods by using water previously pumped into an elevated storage reservoir during off-peak periods when excess generating capacity is available to do so. When additional generating capacity is needed, the water can be released from the pumped-storage reservoir through a conduit to turbine generators located in a power plant at a lower level.
First Hydro First Hydro is an independent generating company based in North Wales where it operates hydroelectric pumped storage power stations at Dinorwig, near Llanberis and Ffestiniog, near Blaenau Ffestiniog. Through these it competes effectively in the electricity market, selling energy and offering fast response services to the national electricity transmission system. The power stations provide flexibility and security to meet peak demand through the day and to provide rapid response to meet sudden demand changes. First Hydro helps to ensure that electrical demand throughout the country can be met consistently.
How Hydropower Works The hydrologic cycle: Water constantly moves through a vast global cycle, in which it evaporates from lakes and oceans, forms clouds, precipitates as rain or snow, then flows back to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, is tapped most efficiently with hydropower.
Hydroelectric A brief description of the types, purposes, and advantage and disadvantages of hydroelectric power.
Hydroelectric - What Is It? A fact sheet about hydroelectric energy and its use in Hawaii.
Hydroelectricity and Other Renewable Resources Moderate growth in the use of renewable energy resources is projected for all regions of the world. Sustained low prices for fossil fuels make it unlikely that renewables will see significant overall gains in market share.
Hydro Power HANJUNG has focused on the production and installation of facilities needed for the construction of Pumped Storage Power Plants and the repowering of outdated power plants, while making moves into power plant markets in Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Hydropower Hydropower links from EREN.
Hydropower This site deals with hydropower and all of the ways that hydropower affects our energy consumption by giving us a cheaper alternative to conventional approaches to energy. In fact, hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the United States, generating about ten percent of our nation's electricity. This amounts to 500 million barrels of oil. This shows that hydropower has made its contribution to supplying energy to our nation. There are many examples of working hydroelectric plants out there
Hydropower Generation What is Hydroelectric Power? Water is needed to run a hydroelectric generating unit. Water is held in a reservoir or lake behind the dam. When water is released from the reservoir through the dam, the force of the water is used to spin the blades of a turbine. The turbine is connected to the generator that produces electricity. After passing through the turbine, the water reenters the river on the down stream side of the dam. Also includes information on pumped storage.
Hydropower Research and Development U. S. Department of Energy Hydropower Program. Hydropower provides over 10% of the electricity and is the largest renewable energy source in the United States. Hydropower provides a relatively low-cost, renewable source of electricity that can be used on a vast scale, in some cases to meet demands for peaking power, and to minimize overall power production costs.
Hydropower Resource Assessment To assess the hydropower potential in any area of the United States from a national perspective, a uniform set of criteria was developed and a probability factor computer model, called Hydropower Evaluation Software (HES), was designed to standardize the assessment. To date, the resource assessment has been completed for 35 states, with the remaining 15 states currently in the state review phase. To view a report, click on an active link on the United States map.
Hydropower Resources EcoNet's links to hydropower resources.
Hydropower's Contribution to Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction An economic analysis in PDF format.
International Centre for Hydropower Established to promote a sustainable development of Hydropower - the clean and renewable energy source.
Ludington Pumped Storage Plant A 27-billion-gallon water reservoir -- 2.5 miles long, a mile wide, and 110 feet deep -- sits along U.S. 31, four miles from Ludington, hidden by a steep, grassy hillside. Owned jointly by Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison, this pumped storage plant can generate enough electricity to serve a community of 1.3 million people.
Micro-Hydro Electricity In isolated areas the only immediate alternatives are diesel and the petrol driven generators or solar-electric and wind-energy systems. Micro-hydro electric power brings large benefits in comparison to the fossil fuel alternatives and the continuously available power is often an advantage over solar- electric or wind energy systems.
Mt. Elbert Pumped-Storage Powerplant The power generated at Mt. Elbert derives from water originally pumped from Twin Lakes, which acts as the Mt. Elbert afterbay, and also from supplemental water delivered from Turquoise Lake to the forebay. The generators are designed to operate as a 170,000-horsepower electric motor which drives the turbines in reverse, and pumps water back up to refill the forebay. This pumping mode normally will be used during the very early morning hours, when power demands are low and surplus low-rate power is received from other generating stations. This pump-back storage principle is advantageous since the generating units can be started quickly and adjustments of power output can be made rapidly to respond to varying patterns of daily and seasonal power demands.
National Hydropower Association
(NHA) 
The National Hydropower
Association (NHA) is a non-profit national association dedicated exclusively
to advancing the interests of the U.S. hydropower industry. It seeks to secure
hydropower's place as an emissions-free, renewable and reliable energy source
that serves national environmental and energy policy objectives. NHA unites
the diverse North American hydropower community, providing a powerful advocacy
voice among U.S. decisionmakers, the general public and the international
community. Through membership, individuals and organizations gain: access
to regulatory bodies, influence over energy and environmental policy and
a means to exchange valuable information with one's peers. Founded in 1983,
NHA represents 61% of domestic, non-federal hydroelectric capacity and nearly
80,000 megawatts overall in North America. Its membership consists of more
than 140 organizations including; public utilities, investor owned utilities,
independent power producers, equipment manufacturers, environmental and
engineering consultants and attorneys.
Pumped Storage Water stored at height possesses 'potential' energy. A hydro electric pumped storage power station converts this energy into electricity by using the pressure created by the weight of the water falling through a pipeline to drive a turbine which turns a generator.
Pumped-Storage Hydro Pumped-storage plants allow for large-scale storage of electrical energy. They store water energy during off-peak hours by pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir which is usually at a minimum of 100 metres height difference. When electricity is in high demand and is also expensive to produce using conventional plants, electricity is produced by allowing the water from the upper reservoir to flow back down through the same pump/turbine.
Run-of-River Plant Minimizes Environmental Impacts A combination of innovative design and construction features helped Vidalia, Louisiana, achieve an environmentally benign solution to its power problems.
Salina Pumped Storage Project The third hydroelectric project constructed by GRDA, the Salina Pumped Storage Project (SPSP) is not located directly on the Grand River system. With all possible dam sites along the river already utilized in the late 1960s, GRDA built Oklahoma's first pumped-storage facility in the hills southeast of Salina, Oklahoma, along the Saline Creek arm of Lake Hudson.
Time Line of Electricity, Hydroelectricity and The Northwest A chronicle of hydroelectric development.
Undeveloped Hydropower Potential by State The Department of Energy is performing a resource assessment of the undeveloped conventional hydropower potential in the U.S. (Undeveloped pumped storage hydropower potential is not included.) The first two graphs subtitled "Modeled megawatts" show the undeveloped hydropower potential for the 41 states completed to date, as estimated by the Hydropower Evaluation Software (HES). The third and fourth graphs, subtitled "Number of sites," list the number of hydropower sites in each state. The total modeled undeveloped capacity for the entire 50 states is approximately 28,000 MW.
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