Hydroelectric Power- Uses and its working
Abstract
Hydroelectric power, also called hydropower, electricity produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling or fast-flowing water into mechanical energy. In the early 21st century, hydroelectric power was the most widely utilized form of renewable energy; in 2019 it accounted for more than 18 percent of the world’s total power generation capacity.
In the generation of hydroelectric power, water is collected or stored at a better elevation and led downward through large pipes or tunnels (penstocks) to a lower elevation; the difference in these two elevations is understood because the head. At the top of its passage down the pipes, the falling water causes turbines to rotate. The turbines successively drive generators, which convert the turbines’ energy into electricity. Transformers are then wont to convert the alternating voltage suitable for the generators to a better voltage suitable for long-distance transmission. The structure that houses the turbines and generators, and into which the pipes or penstocks feed, is named the powerhouse.
