DOCSLIB.ORG

Science Projects in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Science Projects in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency SCIENCE PROJECTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY NREL/BK-340-42236 C October 2007 i Some of the educational lesson plans presented here contain links to other resources, including suggestions as to where to purchase materials. These links, product descriptions, and prices may change over time. NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Printed on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste SCIENCE PROJECTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY A guide for Secondary School Teachers Authors and Acknowledgements: This second edition was produced at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) through the laboratory’s Office of Education Programs, under the leadership of the Manager, Dr. Cynthia Howell, and the guidance of the Program Coordinators, Matt Kuhn and Linda Lung. The contents are the result of contributions by a select group of teacher researchers that were invited to NREL as part of the Department of Energy’s Teacher Research Programs. During the summers between 2003 and 2007, fifty four secondary, pre-service, and experienced teachers came to NREL to do real research in renewable energy sciences. As part of their research responsibilities, each teacher researcher was required to put together an educational module. Some teacher researchers updated a previous NREL publication, "Science Projects in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency" (Copyright 1991 American Solar Energy Society). These contributing teacher researchers produced new or updated science project ideas from the unique perspective of being involved in both education and laboratory research. Participants that contributed to this publication include Nick Babcock, Jennifer Bakisae, Eric Benson, Lisa Boes, Matt Brown, Lindsey Buehler, Laura Butterfield, Ph.D., Don Cameron, Robert Depew, Alexis Durow, Chris Ederer, Brigid Esposito, Linda Esposito, Doug Gagnon, Brandon Gillette, Rebecca Hall, Brenna Haley, Brianna Harp, Karen Harrell, Bill Heldman, Tom Hersh, Chris Hilleary, Loren Lykins, Kiley Mack, Martin Nagy, Derek Nalley, Scott Pinegar, Jennifer Pratt, Ray Quintana, Steve Rapp, Kristen Record, Emily Reith, Leah Riley, Nancy Rose, Wilbur Sameshima, Matthew Schmitt, Melinda Schroeder, Tom Sherow, Daniel Steever, Andrea Vermeer, Brittany Walker, Dwight Warnke, Mark Wehrenberg and Rick Winters. Finally, this book owes much to the original authors and advisors of the 1st Edition in 1991. They include Ann Brennan, Barbara Glenn, Suzanne Grudstrom, Joan Miller, Tom Milne, Dan Black, Hal Link, Bob Mconnel, Rick Schwerdtfeger, Patricia Bleil, Rosalie Craig, Steve Iona, Larry Jakel, Larry Lindauer, Bob McFadden, Beverly Meier, and Helen Wilson. 1 The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development and a leading laboratory for energy efficiency R&D. NREL is managed by Midwest Research Institute and Battelle. Established in 1974, NREL began operating in 1977 as the Solar Energy Research Institute. It was designated a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in September 1991 and its name changed to NREL. NREL develops renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices, advances related science and engineering, and transfers knowledge and innovations to address the nation's energy and environmental goals. NREL's renewable energy and energy efficiency research spans fundamental science to technology solutions. Major program areas are: • Advanced Vehicle Technologies & Fuels (Hybrid vehicles, fuels utilization) • Basic Energy Sciences • Biomass (Biorefineries, biosciences) • Building Technologies (Building efficiency, zero energy buildings) • Electric Infrastructure Systems (Distribution & interconnection, thermal systems, superconductivity) • Energy Analysis • Geothermal Energy • Hydrogen & Fuel Cells (Production, storage, infrastructure & end use) • Solar (Photovoltaics, concentrating solar power and solar thermal) • Wind Energy 2 Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4 The Role of the Teacher ..................................................................................... 7 How to Do a Science Project ..............................................................................14 Project Ideas ....................................................................................................18 What Does the Sun Give Us .....................................................................19 Photovoltaics and Solar Energy ................................................................31 Material and Chemical Processing .............................................................56 Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single-Displacement/Redox Reaction ...................................................60 Utilizing Photovoltaic Cells and Systems .................................................... 73 Photosynthesis and Biomass Growth .........................................................85 Statistical Analysis of Corn Plants and Ethanol Production ........................... 98 Biofuel Production ................................................................................. 103 Renewable Energy Plants in Your Gas Tank: From Photosynthesis to Ethanol ........................................................ 110 Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels .................................................... 129 Reaction Rates and Catalysts in Ethanol Production ................................. 140 A Pre-treatment Model for Ethanol Production Using a Colorimetric Analysis of Starch Solutions ............................................ 151 The Bio-Fuel Project .............................................................................. 158 Biofuel Utilization .................................................................................. 193 Wind .................................................................................................... 198 Hydropower ......................................................................................... 207 Ocean Power ........................................................................................ 211 Alternative Fuels Used in Transportation ................................................. 216 Computer Based Energy Projects ............................................................ 226 Environmental Aspects .......................................................................... 231 3 Introduction Renewable energy technologies gallons per year of ethanol using are clean sources of energy that have a available biomass resources in the USA. much lower environmental impact than And, unlike fossil fuels, renewable conventional energy technologies. energy sources are sustainable. They Importing energy is costly, but most will never run out. According to the renewable energy investments are spent World Commission on Environment and on local materials and workmanship to Development, sustainability is the build and maintain the facilities. concept of meeting "the needs of the Renewable energy investments are present without compromising the usually spent within the United States— ability of future generations to meet frequently in the same state, and often their own needs." That means our in the same town. This means your actions today to use renewable energy energy dollars stay at home to create technologies will not only benefit us jobs and fuel local economies, rather now, but will benefit many generations than going overseas. After the oil supply to come. disruptions of the early 1970s, our Important local and national nation has increased its dependence on decisions will be made during the foreign oil supplies instead of decreasing coming years concerning our energy it. This increased dependence impacts supply. It will be important to consider more than just our national energy all aspects of a particular energy policy. source—its availability, its benefits, and We can be certain that electricity its monetary, environmental, and social use will grow worldwide. The costs. Our nation’s citizens must be well International Energy Agency projects informed so that they can make that the world's electrical generating appropriate decisions. This book is a capacity will increase to nearly 5.8 tool to help teachers, parents, and million megawatts by the year 2020, up mentors inform our young citizens about from about 3.3 million in 2000. the various ways that renewable energy However, the world's supply of fossil and energy efficiency can be used to fuels—our current main source of contribute to our society. electricity—will start
Load more

Recommended publications
  • United States Securities and Exchange Commission Form
    Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ————————————————————— FORM 10-Q ————————————————————— QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF x 1934 For the quarterly period ended December 31, 2016 or TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF o 1934 For the transition period from to Commission File number 1-04721 ————————————————————— SPRINT CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) ————————————————————— Delaware 46-1170005 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 6200 Sprint Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas 66251 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (855) 848-3280 ————————————————————— Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Energy Storage Technologies' Application
    sustainability Review A Review of Energy Storage Technologies’ Application Potentials in Renewable Energy Sources Grid Integration Henok Ayele Behabtu 1,2,* , Maarten Messagie 1, Thierry Coosemans 1, Maitane Berecibar 1, Kinde Anlay Fante 2 , Abraham Alem Kebede 1,2 and Joeri Van Mierlo 1 1 Mobility, Logistics, and Automotive Technology Research Centre, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; [email protected] (M.M.); [email protected] (T.C.); [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (A.A.K.); [email protected] (J.V.M.) 2 Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +32-485659951 or +251-926434658 Received: 12 November 2020; Accepted: 11 December 2020; Published: 15 December 2020 Abstract: Renewable energy sources (RESs) such as wind and solar are frequently hit by fluctuations due to, for example, insufficient wind or sunshine. Energy storage technologies (ESTs) mitigate the problem by storing excess energy generated and then making it accessible on demand. While there are various EST studies, the literature remains isolated and dated. The comparison of the characteristics of ESTs and their potential applications is also short. This paper fills this gap. Using selected criteria, it identifies key ESTs and provides an updated review of the literature on ESTs and their application potential to the renewable energy sector. The critical review shows a high potential application for Li-ion batteries and most fit to mitigate the fluctuation of RESs in utility grid integration sector.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Twin Modeling of a Solar Car Based on the Hybrid Model Method with Data-Driven and Mechanistic
    applied sciences Article Digital Twin Modeling of a Solar Car Based on the Hybrid Model Method with Data-Driven and Mechanistic Luchang Bai, Youtong Zhang *, Hongqian Wei , Junbo Dong and Wei Tian Laboratory of Low Emission Vehicle, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; [email protected] (L.B.); [email protected] (H.W.); [email protected] (J.D.); [email protected] (W.T.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Featured Application: This technology is expected to be used in energy management of new energy vehicles. Abstract: Solar cars are energy-sensitive and affected by many factors. In order to achieve optimal energy management of solar cars, it is necessary to comprehensively characterize the energy flow of vehicular components. To model these components which are hard to formulate, this study stimulates a solar car with the digital twin (DT) technology to accurately characterize energy. Based on the hybrid modeling approach combining mechanistic and data-driven technologies, the DT model of a solar car is established with a designed cloud platform server based on Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to realize data interaction between physical and virtual entities. The DT model is further modified by the offline optimization data of drive motors, and the energy consumption is evaluated with the DT system in the real-world experiment. Specifically, the energy consumption Citation: Bai, L.; Zhang, Y.; Wei, H.; error between the experiment and simulation is less than 5.17%, which suggests that the established Dong, J.; Tian, W. Digital Twin DT model can accurately stimulate energy consumption. Generally, this study lays the foundation Modeling of a Solar Car Based on the for subsequent performance optimization research.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Education and Our Future
    Welcome to Frontiers Page 1 of 10 Science Education and Our Future Yervant Terzian ACCORDING TO CURRENT theory, matter was created from energy at the time of the Big Bang, at the beginning of cosmic history. As the hot, early universe expanded and cooled, it separated into pieces that later formed the hundreds of millions of galaxies we now see. One such galaxy was the Milky Way, which in turn spawned some 200 billion stars, of which the sun is one. Around the sun, a small planet was formed on which biological evolution has progressed during the last few billion years. You and I are part of the result and share this cosmic history. Now here we are, atoms from the Big Bang, an intelligent and technological civilization of about 6 billion, fast multiplying, and largely unhappy human beings. This long evolution has now given us the wisdom to ask what is it that we want. We all want survival, of course, but survival on our own terms, for ourselves and generations to come. 1, and probably you, would want those terms to be comfortable, happy, and democratic. If our most fundamental wish is a happy and democratic survival, this can be achieved only by an informed society. To be informed we must be educated, and in today's world no one ignorant of science and technology can be considered educated. Hence, science education appears fundamentally important to our happy future. During the past decades people have been asking me what was the value of science when during the Apollo mission inspired by President John E Kennedy, we spent $24 billion to visit the moon.
    [Show full text]
  • Handheld Microscope Users Guide
    Handheld Microscope Users Guide www.ScopeCurriculum.com ii Handheld Microscope Users Guide Hand-Held Microscope User’s Guide Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................1 What is a Scope-On-A-Rope? .....................................................................................................1 Which model do you have?.........................................................................................................2 Analog vs. Digital .........................................................................................................................3 Where can I buy a SOAR? ...........................................................................................................3 NEW SCOPE-ON-A-ROPE..................................................................................................................4 Parts and Assembly of SOAR .....................................................................................................4 Connections .................................................................................................................................5 Turning It On.................................................................................................................................5 Comparing and Installing Lenses...............................................................................................6 How to Use and Capture Images with the 30X Lens.................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • List of Brands
    Global Consumer 2019 List of Brands Table of Contents 1. Digital music 2 2. Video-on-Demand 4 3. Video game stores 7 4. Digital video games shops 11 5. Video game streaming services 13 6. Book stores 15 7. eBook shops 19 8. Daily newspapers 22 9. Online newspapers 26 10. Magazines & weekly newspapers 30 11. Online magazines 34 12. Smartphones 38 13. Mobile carriers 39 14. Internet providers 42 15. Cable & satellite TV provider 46 16. Refrigerators 49 17. Washing machines 51 18. TVs 53 19. Speakers 55 20. Headphones 57 21. Laptops 59 22. Tablets 61 23. Desktop PC 63 24. Smart home 65 25. Smart speaker 67 26. Wearables 68 27. Fitness and health apps 70 28. Messenger services 73 29. Social networks 75 30. eCommerce 77 31. Search Engines 81 32. Online hotels & accommodation 82 33. Online flight portals 85 34. Airlines 88 35. Online package holiday portals 91 36. Online car rental provider 94 37. Online car sharing 96 38. Online ride sharing 98 39. Grocery stores 100 40. Banks 104 41. Online payment 108 42. Mobile payment 111 43. Liability insurance 114 44. Online dating services 117 45. Online event ticket provider 119 46. Food & restaurant delivery 122 47. Grocery delivery 125 48. Car Makes 129 Statista GmbH Johannes-Brahms-Platz 1 20355 Hamburg Tel. +49 40 2848 41 0 Fax +49 40 2848 41 999 [email protected] www.statista.com Steuernummer: 48/760/00518 Amtsgericht Köln: HRB 87129 Geschäftsführung: Dr. Friedrich Schwandt, Tim Kröger Commerzbank AG IBAN: DE60 2004 0000 0631 5915 00 BIC: COBADEFFXXX Umsatzsteuer-ID: DE 258551386 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Study on Renewable Energy Resources, Oman: Final Report
    Authority for Electricity Regulation, Oman Study on Renewable Energy Resources, Oman Final Report May 2008 Renewable Energy Resources in Oman Authority for Electricity Regulation, Oman Study on Renewable Energy Resources, Oman Final Report May 2008 COWI and Partners LLC P.O.Box 2115 RUWI Postal Code 112 Sultanate of Oman Tel +968 2460 4200 Fax +968 2460 4788 Report no. 66847-1-1 This report contains the views of the Consultant which do not Issue no. Rev. 0 necessarily correspond to the views of the Authority for Electric- Date of issue 12.05.2008 ity Regulation, Oman. Prepared SEM/NBP/KF/SAJ Checked JHA/DEM Approved SAJ . Page 3 of 134 Renewable Energy Resources in Oman . Page 4 of 134 Renewable Energy Resources in Oman Table of Contents 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Background to the Study 8 1.2 Study Methodology 9 1.3 Collection of data and information 9 1.4 Report Structure 10 1.5 Acknowledgements 10 1.6 Abbreviations and conversion factors 11 2 Executive Summary 13 2.1 Purpose of the Study 13 2.2 Conclusions 14 2.3 Recommendations 24 3 Key information for Oman 31 3.1 Demography 31 3.2 Industry 31 3.3 Electricity sector in Oman 36 3.4 Renewable energy activities in Oman 48 3.5 Conventional energy resources in Oman 48 4 Renewable energy resources in Oman 53 4.1 Wind energy 54 4.2 Solar energy 57 4.3 Biogas 60 4.4 Wave energy 63 4.5 Geothermal energy 64 5 Renewable energy technologies 67 5.1 Wind turbines 67 5.2 Solar PV panels and heaters 72 5.3 Biogas production 83 5.4 Wave energy absorption units 85 5.5 Geothermal power plants 88 5.6 Non energy benefits 90 5.7 Energy efficiency 91 .
    [Show full text]
  • E2 Energy to Educatesm As Part of Our Commitment To
    E2 Energy to EducateSM As part of our commitment to education, E2: Energy to Educate Grants support projects that are team oriented, learning focused, hands-on demonstration projects with specific results. E2 Energy to Educate projects enhance student understanding of the science and technology needed to address energy issues, and reach and inspire students to think differently about energy. 2017 E2 Energy to Educate – Highlights • 17 projects awarded more than $400,000, reaching over 27,000 students nationwide • Student projects include solar car competitions, fuel cell technology, wind power and learning energy concepts via an interactive gaming platform. 2017 E2 Energy to Educate – Awardees Albany State University Albany, GA At least 100-150 middle and high school students will be directly involved in the design of a "green" system where a water reservoir will be used to store energy instead of a rechargeable battery. During the day time, a water pump, operated by a solar panel, will lift water to a certain height and store in a reservoir and in the night time the potential energy of the water will be used to generate electricity with a hydroelectric generator. The discharged water will be collected and lifted again in the day time. School students will learn about design calculations, various constraints in design and budget, and selection of proper materials or devices. Initially, the design work will start with the estimation of daily energy demand. After that, student will calculate the amount of water to be lifted, design the reservoir size, determine the capacity of a DC water pump and finally the wattage size of solar panel that will run the pump.
    [Show full text]
  • Essays on Einstein's Science And
    MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science PREPRINT 63 (1997) Giuseppe Castagnetti, Hubert Goenner, Jürgen Renn, Tilman Sauer, and Britta Scheideler Foundation in Disarray: Essays on Einstein’s Science and Politics in the Berlin Years ISSN 0948-9444 PREFACE This collection of essays is based on a series of talks given at the Boston Colloquium for Philosophy of Science, March 3 – 4, 1997, under the title “Einstein in Berlin: The First Ten Years.“ The meeting was organized by the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, and co-sponsored by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Although the three essays do not directly build upon one another, we have nevertheless decided to present them in a single preprint for two reasons. First, they result from a project that grew out of an earlier cooperation inaugurated by the Berlin Working Group “Albert Einstein.“ This group was part of the research center “Development and Socialization“ under the direction of Wolfgang Edel- stein at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education.1 The Berlin Working Group, directed by Peter Damerow and Jürgen Renn, was sponsored by the Senate of Berlin. Its aim was to pursue research on Einstein in Berlin with particular attention to the relation between his science and its context. The research activities of the Working Group are now being continued at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science partly, in cooperation with Michel Janssen, John Norton, and John Stachel.
    [Show full text]
  • Energy and the Hydrogen Economy
    Energy and the Hydrogen Economy Ulf Bossel Fuel Cell Consultant Morgenacherstrasse 2F CH-5452 Oberrohrdorf / Switzerland +41-56-496-7292 and Baldur Eliasson ABB Switzerland Ltd. Corporate Research CH-5405 Baden-Dättwil / Switzerland Abstract Between production and use any commercial product is subject to the following processes: packaging, transportation, storage and transfer. The same is true for hydrogen in a “Hydrogen Economy”. Hydrogen has to be packaged by compression or liquefaction, it has to be transported by surface vehicles or pipelines, it has to be stored and transferred. Generated by electrolysis or chemistry, the fuel gas has to go through theses market procedures before it can be used by the customer, even if it is produced locally at filling stations. As there are no environmental or energetic advantages in producing hydrogen from natural gas or other hydrocarbons, we do not consider this option, although hydrogen can be chemically synthesized at relative low cost. In the past, hydrogen production and hydrogen use have been addressed by many, assuming that hydrogen gas is just another gaseous energy carrier and that it can be handled much like natural gas in today’s energy economy. With this study we present an analysis of the energy required to operate a pure hydrogen economy. High-grade electricity from renewable or nuclear sources is needed not only to generate hydrogen, but also for all other essential steps of a hydrogen economy. But because of the molecular structure of hydrogen, a hydrogen infrastructure is much more energy-intensive than a natural gas economy. In this study, the energy consumed by each stage is related to the energy content (higher heating value HHV) of the delivered hydrogen itself.
    [Show full text]
  • NASA Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology NRA Overview
    NASA Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology NRA Overview David J. Anderson NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 216-433-8709, [email protected] Abstract. The focus of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Development program is aimed at developing nuclear power and technologies that would improve the effectiveness of space science missions. The Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology (RPCT) NASA Research Announcement (NRA) is an important mechanism through which research and technology activities are supported in the Advanced Power Conversion Research and Technology project of the Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems Development program. The purpose of the RPCT NRA is to advance the development of radioisotope power conversion technologies to provide higher efficiencies and specific powers than existing systems. These advances would enable a factor of 2 to 4 decrease in the amount of fuel and a reduction of waste heat required to generate electrical power, and thus could result in more cost effective science missions for NASA. The RPCT NRA selected advanced RPS power conversion technology research and development proposals in the following three areas: innovative RPS power conversion research, RPS power conversion technology development in a nominal 100We scale; and, milliwatt/multi-watt RPS (mWRPS) power conversion research. Ten RPCT NRA contracts were awarded in 2003 in the areas of Brayton, Stirling, thermoelectric (TE), and thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power conversion technologies. This paper will provide an overview of the RPCT NRA, a summary of the power conversion technologies approaches being pursued, and a brief digest of first year accomplishments. RADIOISOTOPE POWER CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY (RPCT) OVERVIEW The objective of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Development program is to develop nuclear power conversion technologies that would improve the effectiveness of space science missions.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydroelectric Power -- What Is It? It=S a Form of Energy … a Renewable Resource
    INTRODUCTION Hydroelectric Power -- what is it? It=s a form of energy … a renewable resource. Hydropower provides about 96 percent of the renewable energy in the United States. Other renewable resources include geothermal, wave power, tidal power, wind power, and solar power. Hydroelectric powerplants do not use up resources to create electricity nor do they pollute the air, land, or water, as other powerplants may. Hydroelectric power has played an important part in the development of this Nation's electric power industry. Both small and large hydroelectric power developments were instrumental in the early expansion of the electric power industry. Hydroelectric power comes from flowing water … winter and spring runoff from mountain streams and clear lakes. Water, when it is falling by the force of gravity, can be used to turn turbines and generators that produce electricity. Hydroelectric power is important to our Nation. Growing populations and modern technologies require vast amounts of electricity for creating, building, and expanding. In the 1920's, hydroelectric plants supplied as much as 40 percent of the electric energy produced. Although the amount of energy produced by this means has steadily increased, the amount produced by other types of powerplants has increased at a faster rate and hydroelectric power presently supplies about 10 percent of the electrical generating capacity of the United States. Hydropower is an essential contributor in the national power grid because of its ability to respond quickly to rapidly varying loads or system disturbances, which base load plants with steam systems powered by combustion or nuclear processes cannot accommodate. Reclamation=s 58 powerplants throughout the Western United States produce an average of 42 billion kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year, enough to meet the residential needs of more than 14 million people.
    [Show full text]