Have you ever wondered how we can get electricity from water? Here are five powerful hydro power facts for kids.
Humans have used flowing water to create power since some of the first civilizations. It wasn’t used to create electricity but it was used to power machinery. Large water wheels were placed in rivers, the river would push the wheel around which would make the machinery inside the mill work. This helped people mill grains into flour. Hydro power was only used to create electricity after 1880 but the power of water helped us before then.
Hydro power is created when water travels through a turbine and transfers the energy it has to the turbine which transfers it to a battery. The faster the water moves the more energy is put into the system. Gravity is what makes the water flow through the system. Hydroelectric dams are usually built high up in the mountains so the water can fall further to built up more speed and put more energy into the system.
Not all hydro power comes from massive hydroelectric dams, some hydro power comes from rivers or smaller turbines. The water in a river rushes from the mountain tops where it rains down and keeps going until it hits the ocean. The water in the river can move very fast if it is going down a steep hill. This fast flowing water can create energy just like the water flowing from a dam and so it can create hydro power too.
Norway is the 6th biggest producer of hydro power in the whole world. They use mostly hydro power because they have a lot of valleys and rivers which make it the perfect place for hydroelectric dams and turbines. They even store extra water when the rain is heavier throughout the year to make up for the small amount of rain they get in the winter. So, they always have enough energy!
Hydro power is much better for the environment than fossil fuels. Hydro power uses water and gravity to make energy rather than non-renewable fuel. Hydro power also does not release carbon dioxide and other chemicals into the atmosphere. Using hydro power can reduce the effects of climate change. But hydroelectric dams can have an impact on the environment because they are in the water ways. Some fish migrate like birds do during their breeding season and they need to travel past these dams to do that. So, to help out the fish, dams have ladders and elevators to help the fish get past all the machinery safely.
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about hydro power as much as we loved teaching you about it. Now that you know how important this hydro power is to our planet Earth, you can move on to learn more about our environment like: Energy, Wind Energy, Electricity, Water, Electromagnetic Waves, Recycling, Recycling Crafts, Recycling Paper, Plastic recycling, Rainbows, Farming, Seas and Lakes, Miraculous Atmosphere, Earth and Water Cycle.
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