Can you trace the origin of electric energy coming from hydroelectric power plant back to the sun?
Answers
Explanation:
Hydroelectric power, also known as hydroelectric energy or simply hydroelectricity, supplies about 20% of the entire world’s electricity needs – About 88% of the total electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources. In this article I’m going to explain how hydroelectric power plants work.
Where Does Hydroelectric Energy Come From?
Hydroelectric energy can be defined as a form of hydropower where the motion of running water (kinetic energy) is converted into electricity.
The water cycle is driven directly by solar energy. When the sun heats the water in the ocean, some of the water on the surface is vaporized. The water vapor rises and when it reaches higher layers of air and is cooled, the water falls down in the form of rain, hail or snow. The water flows in streams and rivers, finally reaching the sea where it again evaporates.
What is Hydroelectricity? Hydroelectric energy is potential energy that is converted to kinetic energy through the forces of gravitation, which again comes from solar energy, driving the water cycle around. To answer the question, hydroelectric energy is the result of heat energy from the sun and the gravitational forces from the earth.
How Hydroelectric Power Plants Work
By letting the water flow through turbines on their way to the sea, we can harness some of the kinetic energy of water to produce electricity. The flow and head determines the potential energy of a waterfall.
The head is the height difference between the water level in the inlet and outlet from the power plant. From the intake reservoir, the water flows down to the power station, and then into the turbine wheel.