HYDRO POWER
From the Greek word hydro meaning
“water”, hydropower is an ef fective
means of channelling water to produce
mechanical and electrical energy.
Flowing water produces kinetic energy.
What exactly is kinetic (or “movement”)
energy? This is the energy an object
has because of its motion, and it can be
transferred between objects, and then
transformed into other types of energy.
So, as water flows in a dam or reser voir,
it is directed to a turbine. The force of
the moving water makes the turbine turn,
which then kicks a generator into action,
which processes this power to create
electricity. Hydro also works using river
run-of f, in a process called diversion. The
water in fast-flowing rivers, often as not
near water falls, is diver ted to a turbine,
to repeat the same process. It seems
like quite a novel idea, but the power of
water has been used for a long time!
The water wheel – which operates
by way of a similar process – has
been used by humans for some
2,000 years.
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POWER PLAYPOWER PLAY