HYDRO POWER in a NUTSHELL
Hydro power is one of the oldest ways of transforming energy and making it usable. With the help of a turbine, the potential and kinetic energy of water is transformed into rotation, kinetic energy. This movement can then be transformed into electrical energy with the help of an alternator or generator. In the following you can see the principle of a hydro power plant. Global Anchor is focusing on small scale hydro power plants, which means there is very little impact on the environment. There is no huge dams, which cut off the natural flow of a river, for example. The following listing shows hydro power advantages and disadvantages.
Hydro Power Advantages
- Hydro Power is clean
- Renewable
- Reliable
- Free
- Extremely efficient
Large Hydro Power Disadvantages
- Hydro Power dams disrupt the natural flow of Rivers
- Impedes the natural flow of sediments
- Obstacles to fish migration
- Risk of catastrophic failure
The following sketch depicts the principle of a high head pelton water turbine.
Small Scale Hydro Power Advantages
- Cheap to run and maintain once they have been setup
- Small impact on environment
- Less complexity
- Generate electric light
- Enables electric cooking, which save trees and time previously spent collecting fuel wood and prevents people inhaling toxic smog
We believe in small scale hydroelectric solutions for decentralized energy supply.
