Energy Hydropower – Hydroelectricity
HydroPower In The World
Hydraulic Energy has been used for Centuries to Produce Mechanical Energy. Hydroelectricity began to Develop in the 1880s (Invention of the Turbine in France in 1827).
Installed Hydroelectric Capacity Worldwide reached 1 330 GW at the end of 2020, up by an increase of 1.6%, and Hydroelectric Production was Estimated at 4 370 TWh, an increase of 1.5%. New Capacity additions reached 21 GW in 2020, compared to 15.6 GW in 2018. Nearly Two-Thirds of these additions were made in China 13.8 GW; among the Countries that installed New Capacity, only Turkey exceeded the Megawatt 2.5 GW. China largely dominates the Ranking of Countries by Installed Power with 370.2 GW, i.e. 27.8% of the World Total, followed by Brazil (109.3 GW). Pumped storage plants total 160 GW of installed capacity and 9 000 GWhs of Storage Capacity. New Installations in 2020 reached 1.5 GW of which 1.2 GW in China.
The Advantages of Hydroelectricity are Renewable, its Low Operating Cost and its Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions; the Storage Capacity of its Reservoirs Contributes to the Compensation of Variations in Demand as well as those of Intermittent Energies (Wind, Solar).
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) Hydraulic or Hydroelectric Energy is the 1st Renewable Energy in the World and the 6th all Energies Combined, after Oil (31,1%), Coal (28,9%), Gas (21,4%), Nuclear Energy (4,8%) and Biofuels and Biomass (10,02%), it is therefore the 1st Renewable Energy Source in the World.
The Major Producers of Hydroelectricity in 2020 are China (31.0%), Brazil (9.4%), Canada (8.8%) and the United States (6.7%), which have some of the most Powerful Power Plants.
There are Different Types of Hydroelectric installations
Hydroelectric Plants, which use the Energy of the Head of the Waterfall, River-Path Plants, which use the Energy of a River, Tidal Plants, which use the Energy of the Tides, Tidal Turbines, which use the Energy of Ocean currents, and Wave Energy, which uses the Energy of Waves.
Large Scale Hydraulics
Large HydroPower is the Energy Produced by Dams.
Hydraulic Energy is the Mechanical Energy Produced by the Movements and Cycle of Water, Driven by Gravity and/or the Stars and Moon Waterfalls, Rivers, Waves, Currents or Tides.
It is a Clean Energy, whose Force depends on the height of the Falls or the Flow of Water and can be used Directly or Indirectly. Since Ancient Times, its Direct use is the Force of Water to turn the Water Wheel of Mills, and today also Norias or Defibers (which are used to produce Paper Pulp). In Indirect use, Hydraulic Energy is Converted into Other Energy, formerly Mechanical, but mainly Electrical since the Beginning of the 20th Century.
Small HydroPower
If all the Small Power Installations are grouped under the term of Small Hydraulic Power Plants (PCH), we distinguish the Pico-Power Pant Less than 20 kW; the Micro-Power Plant from 20 kW to 500 kW; the Mini-Power Plant from 500 kW to 2 MW; and the Small Power Plant from 2 to 10 MW.
Built on the Path of the River, Small Hydroelectricity does not require any Impoundment or Punctual Emptying likely to disrupt the Hydrology, Biology or Quality of the Water.
Micro-Hydro Power Plants Operate like the Large Dam Power Plants that harness the Energy of Rivers.
As a Decentralized Energy Source, Small HydroPower maintains or creates Economic Activity in Rural Areas.
Marine Energies
The Marine Energy Sector, also called Ocean Energy or Thalasso-Energy, includes the Development of Technologies and the Control and Exploitation of Natural Energy Flows provided by the Seas & Oceans.
These include Swell, Wave Energy, Current Energy, Tidal Energy and Ocean Thermal Energy (OTE) which works on the Thermal Gradient between the Surface and Deep-Water Layers.
The Marine Hydroelectricity uses known Techniques
Tidal Plant of Rance (Tidal Dam), or in full Experimentation Wave Generators (Systems with Oscillating Water Column, Surge Systems), Tidal Turbines (Underwater Propellers or Underwater Wind Turbines), Flapping or Oscillating Flat Wings, Floating Paddle Wheels…
How does HydroPower Work ?
In a HydroPower Plant, the movement of Water turns a Turbine, which in Turn Drives an Alternator that Produces an Alternating Electrical Current. Then a Transformer adapts the Voltage of this Current so that it can be Evacuated and Transported more Easily in High and Very High Voltage Lines.
For example, a Dam holds back the Natural Flow of Water from a River to Store it and form a Reservoir. Then gates are opened to let the Water Flow through Long Metal Pipes, called “Penstocks,” to the HydroPower Plant below.
We also Speak of Mini, Micro or Pico-Hydraulics to designate Power Plants Run-of-the-Water whose Power is Less than 10 MW, intended to Supply Electricity to Small Local Establishments or Some Dwellings.
Environmental Impact
Advantages
Hydraulic Energy is considered a Renewable Energy because without drying up, Water is an Inexhaustible Source and its Cycle is Perpetual, unlike Fossil Fuels.
Its Production Emits Very Little Greenhouse Gas (except in Tropical Regions where the Degradation of Organic Matter Produces Methane), no CO2 and Produces no Waste.
Thanks to Pumped Storage Power Stations (PSPS), Electricity Produced with Water from Dams is the only form that can be Stored on a Large Scale.
It also allows the Economic, Social and Tourist Development of Isolated Communities, and Generates Jobs.
Disadvantages
Dams are an Obstacle to Navigation and Prevent the Migration of certain Aquatic Species and the Transfer of Sediments.
The Artificial Creation of Water Reservoirs Leads to a Silting up of the Rivers, but also to an Under-Oxygenation of the Water. Conversely, the Sudden release of Water into Penstocks causes Over-Oxygenation, which in either case has Negative Consequences for the Balance of the Ecosystem.
It also happens that Hydraulic Power & The Creation of a Dam have led to the disappearance of certain Agricultural Areas, or even to the Displacement of Local Populations.
Therefore, Regulations have been Imposed in each Country, notably the Law of Programming and Orientation on The Policy of Energy (POPE), which aims to maintain a Balance Between Two Major Ecological issues: the Fight against Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Preservation of Biodiversity