Energy comparison: Hydroelectricity

Hello everyone,

Welcome back to another energy comparison post. Today we're talking about hydroelectricity. This is basically just using the power of moving water for our own uses. This idea has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans used watermills to grind grains for making bread. Watermills were used up until the Industrial Revolution.

What is hydroelectricity?

There are three types of hydroelectric power plants. Impoundment facilities are the most common. The water is stored in a pool or reservoir normally located at a higher elevation. The dam uses gates or valves to control the water flow. When there is demand for electricity, the water is released. It falls downwards and turns turbines that turn the kinetic energy of the water (movement energy) into electric energy. Diversion facilities don't have a dam. They channel the water towards the turbines using a system of canals. Pumped-storage facilities are powered by other renewables. They pump water into an elavated pool using these renewables. When there is demand for electricity, this water is released and moves turbines to generate electricity. They basically store the power from renewables.

Advantages

Hydroelectricity is often used in rural areas as it provides affordable energy. They power hospitals, offices, schools and homes consistantly as they are not dependant on the weather as solar and wind energy are. This is similar to coal, but obvisiously coal is not renewable. Another benefit is that it can be produced pretty much anywhere that there are rivers. This means that entire countries aren't reliant on other countries just for a basic electricity supply. It is also a major employer of multiple fields from engineers and construction workers to physicists and ecologists.

Disadvantages

Dams are a major obstacle for migrating fish such as salmon. The dams also flood the river banks to create a reservoir, destroying habitats and relocating entire settlements. There is also a build up of silt in the reservoir. This slit is all the sand and minerals that flow in from the river and would normally flow out into the sea. But they can't get through the dams. Vast amounts of money have to be spent to prevent the build up of silt.

Hydroelectricity is a controversal topic and both sides of the argument are understandable. Today 71% of the world's renewable energy comes from hydropower. Globally, China produces the most hydroelectricity.

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Sources:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/hydroelectric-energy/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/hydroelectric-energy-power-running-water/
https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/benefits-hydropower

Images:

Title image: This image is owned by a blog editor.
Cheoah Dam, Tapoco, NC, owned by Warren LeMay (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Triadelphia Reservoir, owned by Ben Schumin (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Comments

April Top Tips: ten tips for environmentally friendly travel

Hi Everyone! We haven't been very present on the blog again recently but we are back today with ten top tips for environmentally friendly travel. Most forms of travel over long distances (unless you are willing to put in a lot of physical effort) use fossil fuels and are generally not good for our planet. So today we will be giving you a few tips which although won't mean that your travel is 100% planet friendly, will be a good start to doing as much as you can. Your Green World Blog Team💚 1. Use trains and boats rather than planes where possible Planes are awful for the environment. They are, however, extremely practical and so easy to use, cheap...It's hard to avoid them! They are so quick too so you don't have to spend as much time travelling. However, they are really bad for the environment. For example, you could fly once to Edinburgh from Heathrow for the same carbon dioxide levels as driving to Edinburgh 336 times! 2. Fly...

Pollination

Hello everyone, Today we're talking about pollination and its importance in the world's ecosystems. First a bit of basic plant biology. To reproduce most plants do have a differentiation into male and female, but not in the same way that we see in mammals. Both male and female reproductive organs can be found on the same plant, although not in the same place. Male gametes are produced in the stamens and are then found in pollen. On the other hand, female reproductive organs are called pistils and egg cells are found in the ovule (normally in the flower heads). Pollination describes the process of transporting the pollen to the egg cells, making it an essential part of the reproduction of plants. Nearly all seed plants worldwide require pollination to reproduce. Cone bearing trees also need pollination. Pollination is almost always assisted by other organisms such as insects, birds and mammals to transport the pollen. In some species wind ...

Hummingbirds

Hello, Today, we're talking about an amazing group of birds that are known for their colours and the speed they beat their wings. That's right: hummingbirds! General Hummingbirds live in North and South America. They are some of the smallest and most colourful birds in the world. There are about 330 different kinds. Their name comes from the humming sound that their wings make. They eat nectar and insects using their long bills. Some species migrate during the winter. Flight The wings of a hummingbird beat so fast that the hummingbird can hover in one place and can fly forwards, backwards or sideways. Small hummingbirds beat their wings about 70-80 times per second. During courtship displays or when chasing rivals, their wings can beat up to 200 times per second. Feeding Hummingbirds eat the nectar from the insides of flowers. They hover in front of a flower and put their long and slender bills inside to suck up the nectar. This prov...

Air pollution

Hi Everyone, Today we're talking about air pollution. We've all heard about air pollution, normally in connection to cars, coal mines or planes. But what are the consequences of too much air pollution and what can we do about it? One type of air pollution is known as PM2.5. These are particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. This means that we cannot see them without technology such as microscopes. They are produced in a number of different ways including power generation, motor traffic, domestic heating and chemical reactions taking place in the air around us. Although these particles are very small and "invisible", they can cause a lot of damage. Research data now shows links between this form of air pollution and cancers, premature births, diabetes (especially type 2) and heart and lung disease. It is shown to cause 400 000 deaths across Europe every year. Unfortunately this form of air pollution is widespread. A guardian article explains how in Europe alone...

The life of ... Atlantic salmon

Hello everyone, Today we're talking about Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon are found in the north Atlantic and the rivers that flow into it. They can grow up to a meter long and are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN . Atlantic salmon start their lives in rivers. The pea-sized eggs are laid in autumn and hatch in April or May. The tiny salmon are called alevins. They feed on aquatic invertabrates and eventually devolop into parr. Parr are easily recognised by destinictive patterns and markings on their flanks. After up to several years, the parr develop a silvery sheen. These replace those characteristic parr markings. Their bodies change in preparation for the salt water and they are now called smolts. They swim downstream with the current all the way to the ocean. In the deep sea waters, the smolts feed on crustaceans and small fish for 15-50 months. However they are hunted by a number of predators including, sharks, seals and of ...

Coral reefs

Hello! We would love to introduce you to the topic of coral reefs and especially coral reef bleaching, as it is a greatly ignored but certainly significant topic. Have fun! 5 coral reef facts 1. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and is 2300 km long! 2. Less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface is covered in coral reefs. 3. At least 25% of all marine animals live there. 4. Coral reefs are often known as the rainforests of the ocean. 5. In 1 square kilometre of coral reef, up to 35 tons of fish can be 'produced'. The 5 biggest coral reefs in the world 1. Great Barrier Reef (near Australia) 2. Red Sea Coral Reef (near Egypt, Israel and Djibouti) 3. New Caledonia Reef (Pacific Ocean near New Caledonia) 4. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (near Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras) 5. Florida Reef (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico near Florida) What is coral? Coral is actually made up of small anim...

The life of ... a cicada

Hi everyone, We're back to talk about another animal. Cicadas ( Cicadoidea ) are invertebrates and are 1.9cm to 5.7cm in size. There are 3 000 species that can be divided into annual cicadas and periodical cicadas. Annual cicadas can be seen annually and are found worldwide whereas periodical cicadas only leave the ground every decade or two and are only found in North America with hotspots in the eastern and central areas of the United States. Most annual cicadas have a lifespan of about two to five years and periodical cicadas can live up to the age of 17. Female cicadas lay around 400 eggs split up over several places. They normally lay their eggs on twigs, branches or other vegetation. The eggs hatch after about six to ten weeks, now known as nymphs, and dig their way into the soil. The nymphs feed on the liquids found in plant roots. They fully develop underground, before molting their shells and coming to the surface, now fully deve...

November Top Tips | sustainable activities and hobbies

Hello everyone, So this week, we are going to be talking about sustainable free time activities. This area can quite big when it comes to environmental impact, so here are some things that you can do in your free time, that are more sustainable. 1. Reading So reading is one of our favourite things to do. However, books are made of paper and the paper industry isn't great. Some ways you can get around this is by reading online (for example, on a kindle), or through borrowing books from a library or using book boxes. If there aren't any in your area then at least try to support independent bookshops! 2. Running If you love being active then this one is for you. Running is probably one of the most sustainable forms of sport. All you need are some running shoes and somewhere to run. There is obviously more high-tech gear but that isn't really necessary if it's just a hobby. 3. Gardening If you've got a small area of land o...

Turning waste into valuables

Hi, So this post was requested on Twitter after our September Top Tips about recycling . Today we will be talking about how to turn complete waste into something reasonably valuable. This is basically a form of upcycling but to a more extreme level. 1. Ecobricks So, almost a year ago we did a post about ecobricks , but they are such a good example of turning waste into valuables that we decided to put it here anyway. Ecobricks are a building material made from plastic. The waste plastic is washed and then compacted into a clean plastic bottle (also waste). The bottle becomes very hard and durable. Multiple bottles can then be used as bricks and cemented together. The 'bricks' are strong and do not decompose. For more info, read our post where we go into more detail. 2. Metals Although this may seem like something not worth the time. When you separate the metals in waste (for example an old car), you can get usable metal out ...

2021: How Our Year Went, Favourite Posts and Some Goals For 2022 | a wrap up

Hi Everyone! Today we wanted to share some thoughts on how our blogging year went in 2021 and some goals for 2022. We are now at the end of January, which is very scary, but we hope you will still enjoy this slightly belated wrap-up. In 2021, we published 36 posts in total. This is pretty good, we posted on average roughly every 10 days. However, there was a lot of time when we didn't post at all and our posts became increasingly just the monthly fact file. Many of you enjoyed the fact file, and for the most part, we enjoyed writing it but it became a bit of a chore by the end, hence the change we have made over to top tips. We think it would be nice to change our monthly post every year, and we will of course involve you in that just as we did this year. Our best posting months were by far August and September, which is understandable because we were on holiday for August and could schedule a lot of posts for September! Something we want to wor...

Green World

Search This Blog