How it works

Hydroelectricity is generated by channeling water into a turbine. A drop in the river level is needed – typically through a river weir. Water is diverted from above the weir, passed through the turbine and returned to the river beneath the weir. The water, when passing though the turbine, makes it turn. Electricity is generated through the motion of a magnetic field, in its simplest form by moving a magnet in a coil of wire. In the case of hydroelectricity, the turning motion is provided by the effect of the water upon the turbine. The turbine is connected to an electrical generator; there are many different types suited to different duties but all turn rotary motion into electricity. The generator is connected to users of the electricity either by the national grid or a ‘private wire’ if the grid is remote.

It’s a very simply principle but involves complex calculations ranging from the analysis of the river’s hydrology through to the through to the prediction of the amount of money that can be made by selling electricity versus the cost to build a plant, the civil engineering and financial calculations of viability. h2ope majors in the use of Archimedean Screws. The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, developed the screw as a way of irrigating crops through moving water uphill. In recent years however, the screw has been viewed differently. It’s possible to channel water into the top of a screw so that the water travels down it and back into a river. The weight of the water turns the screw, and the turning motion is passed mechanically into a generator to generate electricity.