INDEX

➢ HISTORY OF HYDROPOWER
➢ HOW HYDROPOWER WORKS
➢ CHALLENGES FOR MAKING
HYDROPOWER
➢ BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER
➢ TYPES OF HYDROPOWER
➢ HYDROPOWER COMPARED TO
OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGY

➢ ADVANTAGES OF HYDROPOWER
➢ DISADVANTAGES OF
HYDROPOWER
 HISTORY OF HYDROPOWER

• Ancient times
The Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat
into flour, while Romans use it as power mining
machines.

• Industrial revolution
The invention of the water turbine in the 19th
century saved the way for large sale hydro
power plants, which were used to power
factories and mills.

• Modern era
Today, Hydropower remains very important
source of energy, accounting for over 16% of
global electricity production.
 HOW HYDROPOWER WORKS
???
➢ Hydropower works with 4 main components :-
1. Inlet Valve
2. Turbine runner
3. Generator
4. Transformer

• Inlet valve
Water enters the turbine through the inlet valve.

• Turbine runner
With the heavy force of water turbine turns on,
which is connected to the generator.

• Generator
The generator uses electromagnetic induction to
convert mechanical energy from the turbine into
electrical energy.

• Transformer
The transformer increases the voltage of the
electricity before it’s cities or industries.
 CHALLENGES FACE FOR MAKING
HYDROPOWER

There were many challenges face during the making of

hydropower, some of were :-

• Environmental concerns
Hydropower can also cause environmental problems.
Reservoirs drastically change the landscape and rivers
they are built on. Dams and reservoirs can reduce
river flows, raise water temperature, degrade water
quality and cause sediment to build up. This has
negative impacts on fish, birds and other wildlife.

• High upfront cost

Hydropower dams take two to five years to
construct, while others like the Itaipu Dam in
Brazil and Paraguay can take significantly
longer, leading to increased costs. Everything
totaled, the Itaipu Dam took 18 years and $18
billion to build.
• Financing
Due to long construction period of hydro projects,
interest on loan plays a very critical role in
increasing project cost. Also, during operation
period, higher interest on outstanding loan leads to
higher yearly tariff. Non-availability of longer
tenure loan necessitates higher provision for
depreciation so as to generate resources required
to meet repayment obligations. Hydropower
projects are subjected to various types of risks like
hydrological risk, power evacuation risk, geological
surprises, construction risk, connectivity issues due to
remote locations, extreme terrain etc. But after the
commissioning of the HEP, the majority of the risks
are mitigated.

• Equality of state Govt

Many hydropower projects are under development
in JV between Private Sector & State Sector.
However, in many cases, private partner needs to
contribute 100 per cent towards project expenses
since State government does not contribute its
equity funding. Many JV projects are delayed due
to paucity of funds of States . Equity contribution
from all partners is necessary to complete the
project in time.
 BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER
• It is clean and sustainable
Hydropower is a clean source because it generates
electricity without emitting greenhouse gases or other
pollutants: it helps decrease fossil fuel consumption,
thereby reducing air pollution and mitigating climate
change.
It is also a resource that’s available in a great
many countries, which can thus produce energy
in a more self-sufficient and sustainable way,
thereby reducing the need to import raw
materials.

• It reduces the risk of flooding

A hydropower plant not only generates
electricity, but it also interacts with the area in
which it is located by contributing to its
development.
First and foremost, it brings a clear benefit to the
environment: the amount of water that is
released (after generating power) can be
controlled over time and with great precision,
both in terms of flow rate and total volume. This
means being able to regulate the flow
continuously, thus greatly reducing the risk
of flooding during heavy rains, which also
benefits crops in irrigated areas downstream.

• Water carries huge amounts of energy

The energy potential of hydropower is enormous.
Indeed, the gigantic masses of water found
at high altitudes are endowed with a
considerable amount of gravitational
potential energy, and harnessing even a
portion of it means having plenty of energy at
your disposal. Suffice to say that all the world's
largest power generation plants are hydroelectric,
and it can take only one plant to meet the energy
needs of millions of people.
• It protects biodiversity
The presence of large bodies of water in
reservoirs encourages the growth of
vegetation, which in turn attracts animals:
thus hydropower plants often become spaces for
the preservation of biodiversity. With this in
mind, channels and passage ramps are often
built alongside dams and weirs, thereby allowing
fish to swim upstream or downstream.

• It enhances tourist areas and water sports

Moreover, a river that has become cleaner thanks
to a hydropower plant is also a resource
for fishing and water sports such as rafting or
boating. Fishing is also an important economic
activity for many communities, and in this sense
the presence of a reservoir can be a significant
asset.
 TYPES OF HYDROPOWER
• DIVERSION
A diversion, sometimes called a “run-of-river”
facility, channels a portion of a river through a
canal and/or a penstock to utilize the natural
decline of the river bed elevation to produce
energy. A penstock is a closed conduit that
channels the flow of water to turbines with
water flow regulated by gates, valves, and
turbines. A diversion may not require the use of
a dam.
• PUMPED STORAGE
Another type of hydropower, called pumped
storage hydropower, or PSH, works like a giant
battery. A PSH facility is able to store the electricity
generated by other power sources, like solar, wind,
and nuclear, for later use. These facilities store energy
by pumping water from a reservoir at a lower
elevation to a reservoir at a higher elevation.
When the demand for electricity is low, a PSH facility
stores energy by pumping water from the lower
reservoir to an upper reservoir. During periods of high
electrical demand, the water is released back to the
lower reservoir and turns a turbine, generating
electricity.
 HYDROPOWER COMPARED TO
OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGY

• Solar power
Hydroelectricity requires either a naturally strong
rushing river or the man-made creation of those
effects through the construction of a dam. Solar
energy needs access to lots of sunlight without any
nature blocking the solar arrays, both in terms of
foliage and inclement weather that could block out
the sun.

• Wind power
A recent report by the International Hydropower
Association ( IHA ) suggests that hydropower-based
electricity generation hit a record 4,306 terawatt
hours ( TWh ) in 2019, whereas the total annual
capacity for wind energy in 2019 was just 1,404 TWh .
• Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is heat stored deep
inside the earth or occasionally in hot
springs. This heat is continuously produced
by the decay of radioactive isotopes such as
uranium, thorium, and potassium.
Geothermal heat pump systems can heat
and cool buildings and can also provide a
source of hot water. Other direct-use
applications include growing plants in
greenhouses, drying crops, heating water at
fish farms, and several other industrial
processes.
 ADVANTAGES OF HYDROPOWER

1. Electricity can be produced at a

constant rate once the dam is
constructed.
2. The gates of the dam can be shut down
if electricity is not needed, which stops
electricity generation. Hence by doing
this, we can save water for further use in
future when the demand for electricity
is high.
3. One of the biggest advantages of
hydroelectric power plants is that they
are designed to last many decades,
and so they can contribute to the
generation of electricity for years.
4. Large dams often become tourist
attractions because the lake that forms
in the reservoir area behind the dam
can be used for leisure or water sports.
5. The water from the lake of the dam can
be used for irrigation purposes in
farming.
 DISADVANTAGES OF HYDROPOWER
1. It is not an easy task to assemble a
hydropower plant because the dams
are extremely expensive to build, and
they require extremely high standards
and calculations for their construction.
2. It becomes important that the
hydropower plant must serve for many
decades because of its high cost of
construction, and this totally depends
on the availability of water resources.
3. If flooding happens due to natural
calamities or the failure of dams, it
would impact a large area of land,
which means that the natural
environment can be destroyed.
4. People are forcibly removed from the
particular area where a hydropower
plant is going to be assembled. This
affects the day-to-day life of people
living in that area.
5. A serious geological damage can be
caused due to the construction of large
dams.