Hydropower generates electricity and it is one of the largest renewable energy source to many countries.
Hydropower relies on the water cycle. The source of hydroelectric power is water, hydroelectric power plants are usually located on or near a water source. Therefore understanding the water cycle is important to how hydropower works.
The water cycle comes in three steps:
- Solar energy heats water on the surface of rivers, lakes, and oceans, which causes the water to evaporate.
- Water vapor condenses into clouds and falls as precipitation, rain, snow, etc.
- Precipitation collects in streams and rivers, which empty into oceans and lakes, where it evaporates and begins the cycle again.
The following video will give us some insights of how a hydropower dam works.