Water: Hydropower

Presently, hydropower is used almost exclusively for the generation of electricity. Unlike fossil fuels, water power is a renewable source of energy which does not deplete through usage. In 1859, wind and water power accounted for two-thirds of mechanical power used in the US. Small scale hydropower installations utilized only a small fraction of streams or rivers potential while large-scale hydroelectric power plants are built in conjunction with a reservoir where the water is held and can be withdrawn.

Small scale installations may be a good way to produce electricity in a community where its not practical to construct a reservoir.

Haylie Chan
November 9th, 2010

Krenz, Jerrold H. Energy: Conversion and Utilization (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1976), 259-260