What is hydropower?

Hydropower is the power generated from the force of water. When water is stored in a dam or a pool, it has a large amount of potential energy, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy when the water is made to flow from a higher altitude to a lower altitude. This kinetic energy can be harnessed by letting them to rotate large turbines and producing electricity. It is the oldest known power that is produced. Man has been using water and its many forms in all the different ways possible. He has harnessed the power of water and its various forms as below

Waterwheels
The natural flow of water in rivers, streams etc, can be used to rotated the wheels of power houses. This was the first form in which the energy of water was used. The power produced from this was used to run power mills in older days.

Hydroelectricity
Electricity is produced by allowing water stored in higher altitude to flow from a height to a lower area. Turbines are kept in its path. The water turns the turbine owing to the high kinetic energy which is converted from the potential energy possessed by it during its stance in a higher altitude. The turning of turbine produces electricity.  This is one of oldest renewable source of electricity and is still in use. The production of electricity is cheaper than that of other renewable and non renewable electricity production. It is also possible to take water from one dam to different power stations thereby using water at different levels of altitude to produce electricity.

Electricity produced from running water
Water running in rivers, streams and oceans, which are not stored, is used to turn turbine to produce electricity. This is similar to that of water wheels only difference is that the turbine is more equipped to take more water in pockets in the turbine that can hold water in it during rotation. This increases the weight of the turbine thereby requiring more force to turn it, thus generating higher amount of power in the process.

Tidal power
Due to the moon’s gravity the water in oceans tend to rise once in 15 days, a large amount of energy is produced during this movement of such a large mass of water both horizontally and vertically. This energy is tapped as in hydroelectricity and electricity is produced. This is called the tidal energy.
When energy is produced from the horizontal movement of tide it is called tidal power and when energy is produced during the vertical movement, it is called the tidal stream power.

Vortex power
V shaped vortices are produced at rocky surfaces of water, the energy at these points the very high because water passes through the narrow mouth of the vortex into the broader are. The electricity produced from these places are called vortex power.

Wave power
Waves, which move due to force of wind, have a lot of inherent energy in them. This is tapped and is used to produce electricity. The power is used to turn the turbine which in turn produces electricity.