Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
Hydropower: The Physics of Flowing Water
- Hydropower converts the kinetic and potential energy of water into electricity.
- Dams store water at height, creating gravitational potential energy.
- As water flows downward, it spins turbines connected to generators.
- The faster and heavier the water flow, the more power produced.
- Hydropower is one of the oldest renewable energy sources, used for centuries in mills.
- Modern hydroelectric plants supply about 16% of the world’s electricity.
- Pumped-storage hydropower works like a giant battery, moving water uphill for later use.
- Small-scale “run-of-river” plants harness energy without large dams.
- While renewable, dams can disrupt ecosystems and fish migration.
- Hydropower shows how gravity and motion fuel clean, large-scale energy.