HYDROPOWER

(Current)
 Basic Description
Current hydropower is a renewable energy
source, but it's not very common (EIA).

The amount of power produced depends of the

speed of the flow of water (EIA). Places like
Niagara Falls produce lots of energy.

The energy is captured by underwater turbines

attached to the bottom of a river or ocean
(ocsenergy.gov).
 Basic Description Photos

Niagara Falls

Source: Minerals Source: thetravels.net

Management Service
 History of Current Hydropower

Hydropower is a very old source of energy. Thousands of

years ago, is was used to grind grain (EIA).

On September 30, 1882, near Appleton, Wisconsin,

the first hydroelectric power plant opened in the U.S.
(EIA).

The reason they didn't have power plants sooner was

because the plants needed to be near water. The
technology to send electricity over a longer distance
hadn't been invented yet (EIA).
 Where Current Hydropower is found
and How it's Recovered
It's found on the bottom of the ocean or rivers where
there is a relatively stable current (Bernitsas).
Turbines are attached to the ocean floor buy cables,
and as the current flows past, it spins the turbines
(Bernitsas).

The turbines are attached to generators. The electricity

is produced and transported over land (Bernitsas).
Where Current Hydropower is found
and How it's Recovered
Photos
Turbines Bottom of River

 Businessweek.com PublicDomainPictures.net
 How Current Hydropower is Stored and
How it's Released

After the turbines capture the current's energy, it

travels through underwater lines to a power plant.

It flows through transmission lines to the smaller

distribution lines in a neighborhood.

Then from those distribution lines, the electricity

flows into your home.
www.need.org/needpdf/NOV08EE%20INT%20game%20posters.pdf
How Current Hydropower is Stored
and How it's Released
Photos

Science.smith.edu Scientificamerican.com
How Current Hydropower is Used Today

Current hydropower is not very popular right now.

There are still many scientists experimenting with
it, trying to find the design that benefits the
economy best (Drye).

Scientists hope that one day, a single farm of

underwater turbines will power thousands of
homes (Bernitsas).

Engineers are still testing it to see if it's possible to

make a good profit off of it (Drye).
How Current Hydropower is Used Today
Photos
Underwater Turbine Farm

Syracuse.com
Advantages of Current Hydropower

The only part of the

turbines you would
see would be the
cables running onto
the shore (Drye). cameron4gfs.glogster.com

Water is also about 800

It wouldn't pollute the times denser than air
air (EIA). so it would create more
energy (Drye).
Disadvantages of Current Hydropower
The noise and presence of the turbines might
affect the marine life that lives there (Drye).

People also would have to be aware of them

when they are fishing and diving as well (Drye)
.
It would also cost a lot of money to fix the
turbines. The water would cause them to rust
and break down (ocsenergy.gov 2).
Disadvantages of Current Hydropower
Photos
 Divers Marine Life

 travelblog.org
 dep.state.fl.us
 Economic Impacts of Current
Hydropower
It might cost a lot of money to keep the turbines
clean (ocsenergy.gov).

Engineers don't know how reliable the turbines

will be, and it could possibly cost a lot to
constantly fix them (ocsenergy.gov).

Boats would have to be aware of where the

turbines were (ocsenergy.gov).
Economic Impacts of Current
Hydropower Photos
Boats would have to be aware of the machines
 Environmental Impacts of Current
Hydropower
The turbine blades have the potential to injure
marine life like fish (ocsenergy.gov).

It could affect the mixing of water. That would

cause the temperature of the water to rise,
affecting the marine life that lives there.
(ocsenergy.gov).

It could possibly slow the current flow

(ocsenergy.gov).
 Environmental Impacts of Current
Hydropower Photos

The blades could harm marine life.

The temperature
of the water might rise

iminent.com

images.businessweek.com
 The Future of Current Hydropower
People are still doing more research on current
hydropower, and just hydropower in general
(aboutmyplanet.com).

Scientists believe that the ocean has a lot of untapped

energy, but they still need to figure out how to harness
it (aboutmyplanet.com).

They believe that the machines that stay submerged

underwater during storms will be more effective than
the ones on top of the water (aboutmyplanet.com).
The Future of Current Hydropower
Photos

Submerged vs. On Top of the Water

thewindenergy.net
 Facts about Current Hydropower

The turbines underwater spin a lot more slowly than

wind turbines (National Geographic).

When water is moving 12 miles per hour, it has about

the same amount of energy as wind that is moving
110 miles per hour (ocsenergy.gov).

Scientists believe that if you took 1/1000 of the energy

from the Gulf Stream, it would provide Florida with
35% of the electricity it needs (ocsenergy.gov).
Facts about Current Hydropower
Photos
Gulf Stream
 Works Cited

Bernitsas, Michael. “A NEW WAVE OF HYDRPOWER.” EBSCOhost. 2009. Web. 22, Mar. 2011.

Drye, Willie. “Turning River Current Into Electricity.” National Geographic. 21, Mar. 2010. Web. 23,
Mar. 2011.

Energy Kids. “Hydropower.” EIA Energy Kids – Hydropower. Unknown. Web. 22, Mar. 2011.

Hanes, Marina. “A Hydropowered Future.” About My Planet. Unknown. Web. 23, Mar. 2011.

OCS Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Programmatic EIS. “Ocean Current Energy.”
ocsenergy.gov. unknown. Web. 23, Mar. 2011.