Hydroelectric Power Essay

Hydroelectric Power
Earth Science
By Austin Edwards

Hydroelectric power was one of the first power sources of power used. It is used by the powerful flow of water currents. The first dam ever created for the use of hydroelectric power was built on September 30th, 1882, in Appleton Wisconsin. After that dam, over 2,044 billion-kilowatt hours are being produced each and everyday in all parts of the world. Starting out not being very popular, its production has steadily increased over the years. The reason for its increasing numbers is because of its dependability. Why is it so dependable?
There is always water flowing constantly everywhere in the world. Dams are built in the areas where water is moving at a rapid pace, such as rivers and streams. It is so dependable because no matter what happens in the weather or anywhere on earth, unless the river or stream dries up the water will always be at a constant flow. Some days the flow can be quicker than others producing more energy, although it wouldn’t produce as much a slow steady pace is still going to produce a decent amount of energy throughout the day. How do these dams work?
There are many steps involved in the process of making this energy, although the first step of the production is the water must enter a series of massive pipes, and the collide with the turbine paddles which results in the paddles spinning. As these paddles spin a long stick is on the outside, which is connected to a generator, filled with magnets where all of the electrons are produced, After all these steps all of the produced electrons are pushed through power lines to power houses, businesses, and schools around the area. After all these steps are complete the water used to push these turbines are now ...

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... evacuate are around 80,000 people. So just one dam can cause thousands of people to loose homes and property. Finding a place to fit a giant dam is also a difficult process even being able to remove peoples homes the dam has to be placed in the right spot to have the most production. Also the more things in the way means more things to remove from the area, resulting in more labor, more equipment, and more labor men, all costing thousands of dollars to add to the budget.
All in all hydroelectric power is a very useful and powerful tool that the world has. With all this data and debate there are more pros than cons and with the pollution problem, this solution is a must. It is safe to say the world should use as much hydroelectric power as possible to keep the earth clean and healthy while also being able to produce electricity needed by humans in every day life.