Renewable Resources
Hydroelectric Power
CAES Energy Efficiency Research
Institute
Boise State University
What are some energy sources
that we know exist?
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Nuclear
Coal
Natural Gas
Biomass
Geothermal
Hydro (water)
Solar (Sun)
Wind
What separates the energy
sources on the left from the
ones on the right?
• Coal
• Natural Gas
• Petroleum
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Geothermal
Hydro (water)
Solar (Sun)
Wind
Nuclear
Renewable: Energy resources that are naturally
replenishing but flow-limited. They are virtually
inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of
energy that is available per unit of time. Renewable energy
resources include biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar, wind,
ocean thermal, wave action, and tidal action.
Non-Renewable: Fuels that cannot be easily made or
"renewed," such as oil, natural gas, and coal.
Why do we need these energy
resources?
Is there a “best” energy source? Why do you
think one may be the best? Or, if we can not
decide which is best, why can’t we?
“In the early part of the century hydroelectric
plants supplied a bit less than one-half of the
nation's power, but the number is down to
about 10 percent today. The trend for the
future will probably be to build small-scale
hydro plants that can generate electricity for
a single community.”
-USGS
China is the largest producer of
hydroelectricity, followed by Canada, Brazil,
and the United States. (eia.gov)
So What…?
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html
Today’s use and future use of
Hydroelectric power in Idaho
Does anybody
know where
this is?
Hoover Dam Pictures
How does this produce
electricity?
Pinwheel Under Water
• This can be conducted at any point where the
teacher deems it appropriate.
– used at the very beginning as a kind of “hook.”
– use it at the end, and then ask the students and
compare it to a Hydro dam.
Turbin-ator Supplies
• NREL REACT
Hydromill “Turbinator” instructions
• 2L clear, plastic bottle
• Scissors
• Tape
• Wooden dowel
• String (for lifting)
• Objects of varying
masses (for lifting)
• Bath fish (0.5oz)
• Bath duck (1.5oz)
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle. Um… sure
• The NREL instructions do not include this
step. How convenient…
• Scissors won’t cut it (haha)
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle. Um… sure
• Neither will an exact-o knife
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle. Um… sure
• Neither will hammering a sharp object
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle. Um… sure
• Neither will a drill with a standard, 1/8” drill
bit
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle. Um… sure
• Perhaps from a different angle?
Accept defeat and wait for help
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle… Finally!
Really long, ¼” drill
bit + man muscles
= success!
Cut a hole in the bottom of the
bottle… Finally!
Wiggle it around to get hole big
enough for ½” dowel (actually
measured 3/8”)
Enjoying the victory
Measure blade location
Use dressmakers tape measure (or
string with marked distances)
Measure blade location
Wrap around bottle and secure
Mark blade location
Can do any size, number, or spacing
desired.
How do I know how many
blades and what spacing?
• Think of a Dutch or American windmill…
large blades, lots of them (simplistic
version) for grinding grain or PUMPING
WATER
Mark blade location
Draw straight line across bottle
Mark blade location
Do this all the way around the bottle.
Good math exercise to ensure equal
spacing.
Cut blades (carefully!)
I found it easiest to do short, sawing
motion with exact-o knife until it
poked through the plastic, then it slid
easily
Fold blades out
Have students hypothesize (and
experiment with) the effect of pitch
(the angle between the blade and the
bottle)
Final set-up
•Insert dowel and place in water-safe zone
•Experiment with water flow rate and water
elevation
•Use funnel (or other device) to keep water
flow-rate steady
Final set-up
Bath fish = 0.5oz
Bath duck = 1.5oz
•Experiment with lifting different
objects
•Increasing water flow rate
•Increasing water source elevation
Videos
• Hydro Elevation Video
http://vimeo.com/60298514
• Hydro Lift Video
http://vimeo.com/60298515
Based on what you created what is
the role of the turbine in generating
electricity?
Hydro Dam Tour
What is the main energy transfer that
Hydroelectric power relies on in order
to generate electricity?
a. Potential Energy to Kinetic Energy
b. Chemical Energy to Kinetic Energy
c. Heat Energy(as in steam) to Electrical Energy
Now that you essentially have built your
own Hydro dam imagine putting that in a
river….
What would that do to a river and the
inhabitants of a river or the surrounding
areas?
What does Hydro Power have to do
with the water cycle?
BioHazards
How do fish ladders work?
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Different types of Fish Ladders
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pool-weir fishway
• vertical slot fishway
Denil fishways
• Steeppass fishways
• natural bypass
Cons of Hydroelectricity
Demand for electricity is not "flat" and constant.
Demand goes up and down annually (daily too but
that is later).
When might demand for energy resources
decrease in an area like Idaho?
What have we done to fix this
problem?
Spillways
Other unseen effects of
“Renewable Resources”
How do we make the materials to build
the dam?
-concrete and steel
Will the cost outweigh the benefits
and vice versa?*
Emissions?
• Greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, may
also form in reservoirs and be emitted to the
atmosphere.
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The exact amount of greenhouse gases produced from
hydropower plant reservoirs is uncertain.
So…
s5
China is the largest producer of
hydroelectricity, followed by Canada, Brazil,
and the United States (eia.gov)
So What…?
Slide 53
s5
Repeat slide. This slide was also in the beginning of your presentation.
sandycardon, 2/22/2013
How else can the Hydroelectric
topic be used in the classroom?
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River Ecology
Physics: Motors, Rotors, Magnets etc.
Collaboration with a History teacher
Any Other Ideas?