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HYDRO POWER: Harnessing water flow. Putting the natural flow of water to utility is a very simple task. The water is warehoused behind a dam which increases both the pressure and velocity of the water as it is allowed to escape. It travels through a gate where river debris is removed as the surging waters travel into a tube called a “penstock” and finally enters the turbine which is forced to spin by the oncoming water. Moreover, the expelled water is “down drafted”  and the ensuing sucking action creates even more velocity.

The expelled water  is returned to the river to continue its journey to the sea. The lagoon which receives the exhausted water is called “the tailrace”.

In evaluating the site potential for hydro generation, engineers take into consideration the volume, on average, of the annual flow of water and “the head”, meaning the height of the water surface at the dam relative to the location of the turbine and finally, then the surface water of the tailrace.

The basic elements that compose a hydro generation facility