What is Hydro power: Definition and 11 Discussions

Hydropower (from Greek: ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the kinetic energy of water into electrical or mechanical energy. Hydropower is a form of sustainable energy production.
Since ancient times, hydropower from watermills has been used as a renewable energy source for irrigation and the operation of mechanical devices, such as gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, trip hammers, dock cranes, domestic lifts, and ore mills. A trompe, which produces compressed air from falling water, is sometimes used to power other machinery at a distance.Hydropower is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels as it does not directly produce atmospheric pollutants. However, economic, sociological, and environmental downsides limit its use. International institutions such as the World Bank view hydropower as a low-carbon means for economic development.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. T

    Calculating Force on Shaft Bearings - Hydro Power Systems

    I know the moment of inertia and the rotating speed of a shaft, and the allowable vibration is 2mm/sec. How is the force calculated? What is the formula to calculate the force on the shaft bearings which are a know distance from centre of gravity? Thanks
  2. K

    Concept subsea PHES system, /advice with calculations

    I've created a concept design of a subsea pumped hydro storage system, and need to use the flow rate in order to calculate power output. I can calculate the energy storage capacity using ##E = mgh##: $$E = mgh = 25675000×9.81×200 = 50374 MJ = \frac {50374MJ}{3600} = 13992 kWh$$ I've attempted...
  3. G

    DIY nano Hydro Power generator in a Jungle

    Hi I am usually living off grid in simple huts in remote locations in Asia. A few months per year (rainy season) I don't have enough sun to produce solar power. I need very little electricity. My 20w solar panel produces enough electricity for my needs (lighting + charging a few small gadgets)...
  4. F

    Hydro Power is Actually Solar Power

    Hydroelectric power, effected usually by damming a river, is ordinary considered an example of energy produced by gravitational potential. However, from an ultimate perspective, hydro power is actually an example of solar power. Water must drop to a lower gravitational potential to extract...
  5. D

    Electrical Enclosed water turbine power generation

    In theory or at least in my head, it seems simple enough to me. A simple water pump, such as a pool pump pushes water through a pipe into a water turbine and recycles the water directly back to the pump. With some of the hydrogenerators I've seen out there, they produce far more power than the...
  6. Cheesycheese213

    Correlation between the cost to produce electricity and the cost to consumers?

    Sorry if this is a bad question, but would lower costs to produce electricity (e.g. hydroelectricity instead of solar) bring down the overall costs for us consumers? Also, if there is any reading material or website on this topic, that would be really great too! Thanks!
  7. Zlelik

    Is Hydroelectric power plant a perpetual motion machine?

    Is Hydroelectric power plant a perpetual motion machine of second kind from this classification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion#Classification ? or not? If not which kind of perpetual motion machine is it? :)
  8. M

    Designing a pico hydro turbine and generator

    I'm working on a project right now which requires a hydro turbine generator system requiring 120W of power output capable of working with the following specs: Flow: 0.003m^s/s Pressure: 6m head By my calculations, this should require an efficiency of ~66%. All flow must be in the axial...
  9. N

    Is it possible to charge some batteries in this case:

    Hi, I would like to know if it is possible to charge some batteries in this case: 4W output power, 5 V voltage DC in system that is shown in this video: Which is minimal power needed to charge batteries? Thanks
  10. T

    Find a Power System Engineer for Hydro Power Guidance

    Could somebody please suggest me a staff mentor, or perhaps anybody, preferably a power system engineer and into hydro power. i really need some help. thank you :)
  11. N

    Best mini/micro Hydro power for poor areas

    Hey guys, I am wondering what is the best type of mini hydro power plant to produce between 1 and 5Kw of energy. From what I understand most micro generator needs high head, and they take advantage of the relief (since power=head*flow*g) I am looking at an area where the head is very...
Back
Top