Evaluating the Efficiency of Hydropower as an Alternative Energy Source and its Effects on the Ecosystem
Dr. Raj Shah, Ms. Sharika Hoque, Mr. Stanley Zhang | Koehler Instrument Company
Introduction
Humans have been utilizing the abundance of water for thousands of years. For example, the ancient Greeks used water mills as a form of hydroelectric power to grind wheat into flour and perform other tasks. Today, hydroelectricity accounts for 73% of global renewable energy generation through three main hydropower facilities: impoundment dams, run-of-the-river dams, and pumped storage facilities. The most common type of hydroelectric power plant is an impoundment facility. This type of plant uses a dam to store river water and then releases the water into a turbine which causes it to spin. Unfortunately, dams can potentially disrupt the river ecosystems on which they are built on, but modifications can be made to limit these harmful effects.