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Hydro power is an alternative way of producing
electricity from the power produced by water under pressure. A typical
setup requires the construction of a dam. This would be situated at the
head of a valley. Behind the dam, water is allowed to build up forming a
large, deep lake. The deeper and larger the lake, the greater the
potential of producing large amounts of electricity. A typical dam may
take years to construct and cost millions of dollars / euros and
consequently a dam must stay producing electricity for many years
(perhaps even decades) - in order to produce electricity profitably. |
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| The lake behind the dam contains millions of gallons of water and it is the pressure/weight from the ‘head’ of water that is used to drive turbines producing electricity. The water is release through sluice gates well below the water line. The weight of the water above forces water through the sluice gates at high speed. This speed drives the turbines round producing large amounts of electricity. The diagram below shows how electricity is produced. | |
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