SUMMARY: HYDROPOWER

 Hydropower is also known as hydroelectricity. It provides clean renewable and affordable electricity. Hydropower is a renewable resource because water is a cycle in which we will never run out of. Over all it is a cheap resource because of the water being free. Hydropower does not cause global warming because no chemicals are used therefore no pollution is added to the air.

 7% of electricity is generated by hydropower, making it the biggest renewable resources .The way is works is the water from a damn goes from high to low elevation a hydropower facility  use the motion to generate and creates electricity. There are different methods to use hydropower impoundment, diversion and pumped storage hydropower

    Impoundment stores water in a reservoir where water is released and turns the generator on and creates energy. Pumped storage hydropower water is pumped back into a reservoir when the energy is low like during the night for example. When electricity is in high demand the water is released. A diversion pushes water through a canal or pipe into a turbine or generator to produce energy.

Like any other plants the cost is high for the standards of building and maintaining. Also one location of a facility may affect those down the river for access of water. Dams also cause floods which brings danger to natural habitats of animals. Hydropower dams can significantly affect natural river systems as well as fish and wildlife populations. Today damns are built with eco-friendly turbines which reduce the impact on the environment they are built in.

http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/renewable-energy/hydro-energy.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEL7yc8R42k