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The act of using water to power the world is nothing new, and in fact has been invoked for some 10 decades or more. What's different is the fact that the water wheel on the river has given way to mass production of electricity and power by way of heightened dams and sites. Over 24% of the world's electricity is generated through water power plants, and there is a push to increase this percentage. The entire process is based on the natural and abundant flow of waters, and most large power plants create ways of directing the flow of water for optimum and controlled head and flow into the plant. The following is a brief description of the and how it affects your everyday life.
First, the river is selected. Most prominently, the river should be near a large town or city, so that the lines can power everything in the vicinity. The river is then redirected temporarily while a heightened dam is built. This is a very scientific process, as the intake at the bottom of the dam needs to be strategically engineered for optimum head, allowing the proper flow through the power plant and along its merry way through the outtake of the river.
While dam construction takes place, the power plant is being built, set lower than the highest point of the water intake on the dam. A turbine, or sometimes many, is placed in the wake of the projected flow of the river, and this is the wheel that is turned by the force of the water which rushes past it. The turbine is comprised of blades and a shaft, the shaft is linked to the turbine generator, which is attached to the electrical output lines. When the blades of the turbine are moved by the water, the rotor on the generator is turned, and this friction produces mechanical energy.
The generator then converts this mechanical energy into electricity, and the electricity is released from the generator through the output lines. From there, the sky is the limit. The power plant is capable of powering hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses through the use of one, natural power source, redirected of course. Considered to be environmentally superior to coal generated power, potentially hazardous emissions are much lower from the hydroelectric plants. Tip: Don't take a dip directly downriver from a power plant.