Hydro electricity is a different term for power generated by exploiting the power of moving water. It need not necessarily be falling water rather just moving water.
How is hydro electricity generated?
The electrical generators are attached to huge turbine devices which spin at large speeds as a result of water rushing through them. These turbines extract the kinetic energy from moving water and converting it into power through the generators.
The hydroelectricity derived depends on the water volume and also on the water head (the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow). This head is proportional to the potential energy in the water. To obtain a high head, water for a hydraulic turbine is run through a pipe called a penstock.
When water reaches the end of the penstock, it rotates a water wheel or turbine at vast speeds. The turbine rotates, by means of an allied shaft to an electrical generator which then produces the electricity
The turbine is attached to a shaft and a large magnet. The rotation of the turbine causes the shaft and magnet to spin. The mechanical energy is transferred from the turbine to the magnet.
A gigantic coil of electrically conductive material surrounds the magnet. While the magnet spins, it creates a flow of electricity in the electrically conductive material
The electrically conductive material is linked up to electricity power lines allowing the current to move between the power plant and the electrical wires to the consumers.
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