FREE ESSAY ON HYDROELECTRIC POWER

HYDROELECTRIC POWER

Kevin Shah
Period 3
Hydroelectric Power
One of the earliest ways to harness power is to use the powerful flow of water. On
September 30th, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, the first ever dam was built. Since then,
over 2,044 billion-kilowatt hours have been produced each day, worldwide. This source of
energy is being used more and more days, because it is so dependable. But, how does it
actually work and produce electricity?
First of all, dams are located in a position where water moves swiftly and quickly. This
is very important. When the water enters the dam, it goes through a series of giant
pipes. At this point, the water hit the paddles of the turbine, causing it to spin. From
there, the water goes to the end of the dam, and continues its regular flow in the river.
To find out where the electricity comes from, we must go back to the turbines. As the
turbines spin, a long, thick stick that protrudes out the side is connected to a
generator filled with magnets. This is where all the electrons are produced. Lastly, the
power is then flows through power lines and reaches homes and businesses in the area. 
There are many advantages to using dams. Fist of all, we basically have an unlimited
source of water. Also, these dams are sturdy and could last for years and years. In
addition, dams don't add any pollution, which nuclear and fossil fuels do, to the
environment, which is now a major problem. Lastly, it's a reliable source. Unlike wind
power and solar power, we could use it day and night and we know it will be around the
next day. There are a few disadvantages towards having a dam. First of all, they are very
costly. Dams have a lot of expensive equipment. Also, a dam requires a lot of space to
build and powerful water. Both of these requirements make finding a place to build a dam
hard to find. Worst of all, when building a dam, you might have to evacuate people to do
the actual building. There is an average of 80,000 people who need to be evacuated. 
All in all, I think that hydroelectric dams should be the world's main source of power.
This is because the world biggest problem involves the pollution. Rather than burning
fossil fuels and use nuclear power, we could stop some major problems. This source is
better than solar or wind energy because it is easier to depend on. Water exists in both
day and night and everyday. With geothermal energy, you must be near a geyser, and this
isn't as abundant as water. In conclusion, the world should rely on hydroelectric energy
more than anything else.