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English: Hydroelectric dam. Water from the reservoir rushes through the penstock into the powerhouse. The water spins the turbine, which drives the generator. Inside the generator is a large electromagnet that spins within a coil of wire, producing electricity.
Hydropower is a flexible source of electricity since stations can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands. [31] Hydro turbines have a start-up time of the order of a few minutes. [37] Although battery power is quicker its capacity is tiny compared to hydro. [2]
Despite the large difference in installed capacity between Three Gorges Dam and Itaipu Dam, they generate nearly equal amounts of electrical energy during the course of an entire year – Itaipu 103 terawatt-hours (370 PJ) in 2016 [1] and Three Gorges 111.8 TWh (402 PJ) in 2020, [2] because the Three Gorges experiences six months per year when ...
The amount of hydroelectric power generated is strongly affected by changes in precipitation and surface runoff. [4] Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 US states. The largest concentration of hydroelectric generation in the US is in the Columbia River basin, which in 2012 was the source of 44% of the nation's hydroelectricity. [5]
A magnetohydrodynamic generator (MHD generator) is a magnetohydrodynamic converter that transforms thermal energy and kinetic energy directly into electricity.An MHD generator, like a conventional generator, relies on moving a conductor through a magnetic field to generate electric current.
Hydropower is now used principally for hydroelectric power generation, and is also applied as one half of an energy storage system known as pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Hydropower is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels as it does not directly produce carbon dioxide or other atmospheric pollutants and it provides a relatively ...
The kinetic energy is wasted as heat when the water drops land in the buckets, so when considered as an electric power generator the Kelvin machine is very inefficient. However, the principle of operation is the same as with other forms of hydroelectric power. As always, energy is conserved.
Kaplan turbine and electrical generator cut-away view. The runner of the small water turbine. A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, they are ...