Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Hydro Power

Hydro energy is simply energy that is taken from water and converted to electricity. Hydro energy can be obtained by using many methods of capture. The most common method of using energy from water is a hydroelectric dam, where water coming down through an area causes turbines to rotate and the energy is captured to run a generator. Power can also be generated from the energy of tidal forces or wave power, which uses the energy created by waves.

One downside to using hydro energy is that it can sometimes change the natural flow of the water which can make it possible to harm plants and animals in the water. It can also damage areas and wildlife, as when creating a hydro electric dam, areas must be flooded. 

Other reasons that many want to use hydro energy is that it is cheaper than using other methods to convert energy to electricity. It is also reliable and can be used almost immediately when turned on to meet the demand for electricity. Therefore, you must weigh the pros and cons before deciding to use hydro energy to supply their demand for electricity.

8 comments:

  1. It sounds like hydro power is cheap, reliable, and easy to access, so why isn't it being used more?

    ReplyDelete
  2. If we start using hydro power is it going to be reliable for non stop use day to day? and is everyone going to be able to keep up with how much it costs to have it run all day everyday?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Katrina
    Everything you said is true but Hydro power also destroys the environment in the process. in order to make a lot of these dams that you see today, they have needed to flood entire areas.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ashlee
    Hydro power is efficient enough to be able to turn it on and have almost instant power. But like any other source of energy, the longer you keep it on, eventually the price will add up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How many dams would we need to to run just hydro?

    ReplyDelete
  6. You say that hydro damages wildlife, but doesn't everything?

    ReplyDelete
  7. How much does it cost to start a dam?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Are there even more rivers available to provide hydro-electric power? I feel like by now most rivers which could support a dam already have one.

    ReplyDelete