The force of water has helped people power
their industries for centuries, but in modern
times we’ve taken it one step fur ther and
created “hydroelec tr ic” power, combining the
force of water with the power of gravity! “Hydro”
is Greek for water, and, well, we all know what
electric means!
A hydroelectric power plant is made up of
a dam, a reser voir and an electricity generator.
The dam acts as a barrier to block a river, so
that water can be stored in the reser voir behind it.
Electricity is generated when the dam is opened,
and the water rushes down at high speeds,
through a turbine in the electricity generator.
Hydropower is a significant source of electricity,
powering a fifth of the world!
WATER
When a dam is built, a
huge area is flooded to
make a lake. This af fects
the environment, disrupts
movements of animals and
can displace a lot of people.LIMITATIONS
Tidal power is another form
of hydroelectric power, using
the energy of the tides.The Three Gorges Dam
in China is the largest
hydroelectric dam in the world,
but building it displaced 1.3
million people and flooded
over 1,000 archaeological and
cultural sites.FUN FACTS
If there is a drought and the
reser voir runs dr y, then the
plant can’t generate any power!GOING GREEN!