Hydroelectricity

Electricity generated by converting the energy of moving or falling water into electrical energy, usually with turbines and generators.

Hydroelectric dam: A barrier across a river that stores water or controls its flow to generate electricity. A reservoir and controlled release create the water head that drives many hydroelectric turbines.
Gravitational potential energy: Energy an object has because of its position in a gravitational field. Stored water high above a turbine has energy that can become motion as it falls.
Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity: Hydroelectric generation that uses a river’s flow with little or no long-term water storage. It generates electricity without relying on a large reservoir to regulate seasonal flow.
Wind power: Electricity generated by converting the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Both are renewable generators, but wind output depends on atmospheric conditions rather than river flow and stored water.
Reservoir: A natural or artificial lake used to store water for later use. Hydropower reservoirs enable storage and flow control but can inundate land.
Water turbine: A rotary machine that extracts energy from moving water and converts it into mechanical rotation. Its runner turns the flow of water into the shaft power used for generation.
Fluid mechanics: The branch of physics that studies fluids, including liquids and gases, at rest and in motion. Water flow, pressure, and losses determine how much energy reaches a turbine.
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity: A storage method that pumps water uphill when electricity is available and releases it through turbines later. It uses hydroelectric machinery to shift electricity supply across time rather than relying on natural inflow alone.
Solar power: Electricity generated by converting sunlight directly or indirectly into electrical energy. Solar power depends on sunlight, while hydropower can often be scheduled by controlling water releases.
Dam removal: The dismantling of a dam to restore river flow and ecological connectivity. Removal can reverse some ecological changes caused by hydroelectric dams, while ending or reducing generation.

Linked from 97 pages