The Wonders of Water

Water is necessary for all living organisms. Without it, we wouldn’t have life. Water can also be used for energy. Water is a type of renewable resource. Renewable resources are those that do not run out or can be used again. When water is used to generate electricity, it happens in a way that water itself is not used up or changed.
Water has been used by various ancient societies as a source of energy and again in the 1900s to power factories during the Industrial Revolution. Because hydroelectric power (the name for energy generated by water) requires water, most plants are located near large moving bodies of water like rivers. The amount of water and the speed with which it flows tell engineers how much energy can be extracted. Normally, the more water and the faster it flows, the more energy available to generate electricity.
When one thinks of hydroelectric power, the image that comes into one’s head is of a water wheel. The falling force of the water causes the wheel to spin. This rotation can be transmitted to a bunch of different machines through the shaft at the center of the wheel. The mechanical energy of the water is transformed into electrical energy.
Hydropower can also be generated is through storage systems. These are things like reservoirs and dams. Water accumulates in these reservoirs and behind these dams and is then released through hydro turbines whenever necessary to generate electricity. Reservoirs are common in most US hydropower plants. Another type of storage system is a pumped-storage hydropower facility. These are a type of hydroelectric storage system where water is pumped from a water source to a storage reservoir known as the upper reservoir. This reservoir is at a higher elevation and water is later released from the upper reservoir to power hydro turbines located below.

A hydroelectric dam

Picture Source: innovationnewsnetwork.com