HYDROELECTRIC

POWER
 Flowing water creates energy that can be
captured and turned into electricity. This is
called hydroelectric power or hydropower.

Hydroelectricity is the most widely used

form of renewable energy. It is a flexible
source of electricity and also the cost of
electricity generation is relatively low.
About one-fifth of the world’s electricity is
generated by hydroelectric power.

SOURCE: GROLIER SCIENCE LIBRARY: INVENTIONS by Barbara Taylor pg20[b40]

 Looking
back…
• In 1849, an engineer named
James Francis developed the
Francis Turbine, the type of
turbine that is most widely
used today.
• In 1882, the world’s first
hydropower plant begins
operations in Appleton,
Wisconsin, on the Fox River.
• The first hydroelectric plant opens in
the West, in San Bernadino, California,
1887.

• In 1920, Hydropower accounts for 25

percent of U.S. electrical generation.
• Construction begins on the Hoover Dam, ultimately
employing a total of more than 20,000 workers during the
Great Depression, 1931.

• 1941-1945, Bureau of Reclamation dams ramped up power

output to support America’s efforts in World War II,

producing enough electricity to make 69,000 airplanes

and 5,000 ships and tanks during a five year period.

• Today: A vast expansion of
hydropower’s potential is possible
through new technologies for
conventional, pumped storage and
marine and hydrokinetic projects,
modernizing existing hydropower
facilities and adding generation to
existing non-powered dams.
 Comp
onents
1.) DAM
-Most important component of hydroelectric power
plant. It is a structure built on a large river that
has abundant quantity of water throughout the year.
Function:
• Increase the height of the water level behind it
which ultimately increases the reservoir capacity
• Helps in increasing the working head of the power
plant.
 RESERVOIR
-Is the place behind the dam where water is
stored. The water in the reservoir is located
higher than the rest of the dam structure.
Function:
The height of water in the reservoir decides how
much potential energy the water possesses, which
helps produce more electricity in the power
generation unit.
 INLET GATES (CONTROL GATES)
-Gates built on the inside of the dam.
Function:
• Once opened, water enters the power
generation unit through these gates
 PENSTOCK
-Long pipe or the shaft that carries the
water flowing from the reservoir towards the
power generation unit.
Function:
The total amount of power generated in the
hydroelectric power plant depends on the height
of the water reservoir and the amount of water
flowing through the penstock.
 POWER GENERATION UNIT
WATER TRUBINES
-A part of the power generation unit.
Much like a windmill, except the energy is
provided by falling water instead of wind.
Function:
• Converts the kinetic and potential energy of
falling water into mechanical energy that
results in rotation of the turbine blades,
which then rotates the generators.
B.) GENERATORS

-Connected to the turbine by shafts and

possibly gears so when the turbine spins it
causes the generator to spin
Function:
Rotation of the shaft(mechanical energy)
inside the generator produces magnetic field
which is converted into electricity by
electromagnetic field induction, which is
then stepped up with the help of a
transformer for the transmission purpose.
How do
hydropower
works????
Energy Conversion In
Hydropower Plant
POTENTIAL KINETIC MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL
ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY

Energy Energy Converted Resulting

stored in possessed energy of the energy in the
the water by the turbines and generator due
while the water due generator shaft to
inlet gates to its due to the flow electromagnetic
are closed motion of water field induction
 TYPES OF HYDROPOWER
1.) DIVERSION (RUN-OF-RIVER)
PLANT
-A type of facility that channels a portion of a river through a penstock or canal to the
turbine.
-No dam is constructed and, hence, reservoir is absent. And due to absence of reservoir, any
oversupply of water is passed unused.
2.) IMPOUNDMENT
- The most common type of hydroelectric power plant. Typically a large hydropower system
that uses a dam to store river water in a reservoir.
- Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn
activates a generator to produce electricity. The water may be released either to meet
changing electricity needs or to maintain a constant reservoir level.
3.) PUMPED STORAGE
- Facility that works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar,
wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher
elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation.
- When the demand for electricity is low, it stores energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir to
an upper reservoir. During periods of high electrical demand, the water is released back to the lower
reservoir and turns a turbine, generating electricity.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY A HYDROPOWER
PLANT CAN MAKE
1.) How Far the Water Falls

Generally, the distance that the water falls depends on the size of the dam. Scientists
would say that the power of falling water is "directly proportional" to the distance it falls.

2.) Amount of Water Falling

More water falling through the turbine will produce more power. Power is also "directly
proportional" to river flow.
Engineers have found that we can calculate the power of a dam using the following
formula:

Power = (Height of Dam) x (River Flow) x (Efficiency) / 11.8

Power The electric power in kilowatts (one kilowatt equals 1,000 watts).

Height of Dam The distance the water falls measured in feet.

River Flow The amount of water flowing in the river measured in cubic feet per second.

How well the turbine and generator convert the power of falling water into electric power. For older,
Efficiency poorly maintained hydroplants this might be 60% (0.60) while for newer, well operated plants this might
be as high as 90% (0.90).

11.8 Converts units of feet and seconds into kilowatts.

 EXISTING STRUCTURES NATIONWIDE
1.) THREE GORGES, CHINA (1993-2012)- 70 years

It is the largest hydropower station in the world, located

in Yichang, Hubei province, China . It is a conventional
impoundment hydropower facility exploiting the water resource
of the Yangtze River. The project is owned and operated by China
Three Gorges Corporation through its subsidiary China Yangtze
Power.

It consists of 32 turbine / generator units rated 700MW

each, and two 50MW power generators. Annual power output of
the plant is estimated at 85TWh. The generated power is
supplied to nine provinces and two cities, including Shanghai.
2.) ITAIPU, BRAZIL & PARAGUAY (1975-1982)

The project is located on the Parana River, at the

border between Brazil and Paraguay has an installed
capacity of 14,000MW. The facility is operated by Itaipu
Binacional.

It supplies about 17.3% of Brazil's energy

consumption and 72.5% of the energy consumed in
Paraguay. It consists of 20 generating units with a
capacity of 700MW each. It produced 98.2TWh in 2012,
which made it the biggest generating hydropower plant
in the world.
3.) GURI, VENEZUELA (1963-1978-1986)

Also known as the Simón Bolívar

hydroelectric power station, has an
installed capacity of 10,200MW. Located
on the Caroni River in the Bolívar State of
southeastern Venezuela. CVG
Electrification del Caroni owns and
operates the plant. The power plant
consists of 20 generating units of different
capacities ranging between 130MW and
770MW.
4.) PANTABANGAN-MASIWAY HYDROELECTRIC POWER
PLANT(1971-1977)- 107 years

The 132-MW PMHEP located in Nueva Ecija is

owned and operated by First Gen Hydro Power
Corporation (FG Hydro). The complex has two
components that are part of a multipurpose hydro
complex that supplies irrigation water for the vast rice
fields of Nueva Ecija, approximately 180 kilometers
northeast of Metro Manila.

The power house is located at the base of the

main dam and contains two 50 MW Francis turbine
generators for an installed capacity of 100 MW.
5.) ANGAT DAM

Located within the Angat Watershed

Forest Reserve in Norzagaray, Bulacan. The
reservoir supplies about 90 percent of raw
water requirements for Metro Manila and it
irrigates about 28,000 hectares of farmland in
the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.

It consists of 10 vertical shaft Francis

turbines and has an installed capacity of
256MW.
 DRAWBACKS
1.) Environmental, Dislocation and Tribal Rights – Large Dam construction especially in populated areas
leads to massive Tribal Displacement, Loss of Livelihood and Religious Infringement as potentially sacred
Land is occupied by the Government.

2.) Wildlife and Fishes get Affected – The Fishes are the most affected species from Dam Construction as
the normal flow of the river is completely changed from its river character to a lake one. Submergence of
land also leads to ecological destruction of the habitat of land based wildlife.

3.) Earthquake Vulnerability – Large Dam Construction has been linked to increased propensity of
Earthquakes. Massive Earthquakes in China and Uttarakhand in India were linked to the building of
Massive Dams in these countries
4.) Siltation When water flows it has the ability to transport particles heavier than itself
downstream. This has a negative effect on dams and subsequently their power stations,
particularly those on rivers or within catchment areas with high siltation

5.) Tail Risk, Dam Failure – Because large conventional dammed-hydro facilities hold back
large volumes of water, a failure due to poor construction, terrorism, or other cause can
be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure
.

6.) Long Gestation Time – The time to construct a large hydro power project can take
between 5-10 years which leads to time and cost overruns.
 CURRENT ISSUES

South and Central Asia

In Tajikistan,
construction is
under way at the 1,315 MW
3,600 MW Rogun
added in 2016
dam, set to be one
of the world’s
tallest at 335 m.
SOURCE: International Hydropower Association | 2017 Hydropower Status Report
 • East Asia and Pacific
14,154 MW added in 2016, 83 Japan is set to have
per cent of which was in China, its first commercial-
bringing the country’s total scale tidal power Conventional hydropower plants are among the
installed hydropower capacity plant in its waters in lowest-cost electricity energy resources, due to their
to an estimated 331,110 MW. 2018. long life and relatively low operating and
maintenance costs. Nonetheless, the operation and
maintenance (O&M) of hydropower facilities is
becoming increasingly complex in many regions of
the world.

SOURCE: International Hydropower Association | 2017 Hydropower Status Report