Hydroelectricity for a Brighter Future

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Recommended: Renewable and non-renewable energy sources

Hydroelectricity for a Brighter Future

The environment is a precious thing and we need to protect and care for it. The environment does not have its own voice; therefore we must speak on behalf of the environment. Over the past century as technology has improved and people have desired more materialistic things, our environment has been harmed tremendously. I will not deny that I do enjoy having cars, electricity, and other technologies which make my life easier, but I do believe that there are other means of obtaining energy through different methods that are more environmentally friendly. A great example of one of these methods is hydroelectric energy.

Hydroelectric energy is a renewable energy source which relies on the natural water cycle, which includes evaporation, precipitation, and the flow of water due to gravity. Today, we have a method of taking this hydroelectric energy and turning it into electricity—hence the term hydroelectricity. Hydro means water and hydroelectric means creating electricity from water power. When it rains, water becomes streams that run down the sides of mountains and hills into the ocean. This falling water can be used to do work. Keep in mind energy is the ability to do work. Therefore, the falling water which has kinetic energy is converted into electricity (Hydro Power 2005).

Hydroelectricity is created in hydroelectric power plants through the usage of dams, turbines, generators, and transmission lines. Hydroelectric power plants capture the energy of falling water and convert this energy into electricity. Dams are created to raise the water level of the rivers to generate falling water and control the flow of the water. This forms ...

... middle of paper ...

...re we are getting our next fuel source from and it will add to our wallets, not take away.

Works Cited

Baird, Stuart. Hydro-Electric Power. 1993. Energy Educators of Ontario. 18 Apr. 2005 <http://www.iclei.org/EFACTS/HYDROELE.HTM>.

Do the Benefits of Massive Hydroelectric Power Projects Outweigh the Environmental Costs of These Projects? 18 Apr. 2005 <http://www3.interscience.wiley.com:8100/legacy/college/botkin/0471389145/ed/pa06.html>.

How Hydropower Works. 13 Dec. 2000. Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company. 18 Apr. 2005 <http://www.wvic.com/hydro-works.htm>.

Hydro Power. 22 Apr. 2002 Energy Story. 18 Apr. 2005. <http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter12.html>.

Medina, Francelys. Hydroelectric Power: Dammed? Nov. 2001. Energy and Modern Society. 18 Apr. 2005 <http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/f/a/fam116/Portfolio/Lecture_21.htm>.

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