Describe what happens at a hydroelectric power station.? Help ASAP please

1 Answer
Oct 10, 2017

See my description below of a typical hydroelectric station.

Explanation:

To put it briefly, a large amount of water is held behind the dam in which the station is built. Controlled amounts of water are allowed to flow from near the top of this dam into concrete tunnels that cause the water to pass through a turbine (essentially a series of fan blades) than are made to spin, thereby converting the kinetic energy of the flowing water into rotational motion.

The turbine is connected via a gear mechanism to an electric generator that is made to spin at a controlled rate. This generator converts the rotational kinetic energy of the turbine into electrical energy (alternating current to be precise).

A transformer (in the diagram below) is used to increase the voltage to a very high value, so that minimal energy is lost to heat as the electric energy is transmitted to consumers.

http://teachnuclear.ca/all-things-nuclear/energy-demand-and-sources/present-energy-sources/hydroelectricity/

Check out this website if you need more:

http://teachnuclear.ca/all-things-nuclear/energy-demand-and-sources/present-energy-sources/hydroelectricity/