Hydropower is produced when kinetic energy in flowing water is converted into electricity. Hydropower has been a significant source of electrical energy in the United States since the early 1900s when manufacturers recognized and harnessed its tremendous potential to develop and build entire industries.
Traditionally, hydropower has been a low-cost, reliable energy source. It utilizes a renewable fuel (water) that can be sustained indefinitely, and is free of fossil fuel emissions. And because hydroelectric generators are especially suited for providing peaking power, hydropower complements thermal generation and improves overall power production efficiency.
Hydroelectricity presently constitutes approximately 10 percent of the United States’ energy supply, which is enough to meet the needs of 28.3 million consumers.
Mankind has used the energy of falling water for many centuries, at first in mechanical form and since the late 19th century by further conversion to electrical energy. Historically, hydropower was developed on a small scale to serve localities in the vicinity of the plants.
With the expansion and increasing load transfer capability of transmission networks, power generation was concentrated in increasingly larger units and to benefit from the economies resulting from development on a larger scale.
In order to convert this potential to applicable electric energy, water flow should be led to and drive a hydraulic turbine, transforming hydroenergy into mechanical energy, the latter again drives a connected generator transforming the mechanical energy into electric energy.
As hydroenergy exploitation and its utilization are completed at the same time. I.e. the exploitation of first energy source and the conversion of secondary energy source occur simultaneously, unlike the coal power generation which should have two orders; first order is exploitation of fuel, second order is generation, so hydropower has the advantages over thermal power generation.
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