The Largest Hydroelectric Power Generation Plant in the World

Fig-Three Gorges Dam

How does Hydroelectric Power Generation work:

In hydroelectricity water potential energy works with gravitational forces. Power plants are generally built near attached waterfalls, where enough river or seasonal rainwater reserved available and the kinetic energy is the greatest. To control the flow of water some time dams are required to build. 

When water released from the reservoir it flows down with heavy forces which rotate the turbine where the generator is shafted with it generate electricity. 

After the water has passed through the turbine, it’s returned to the river. This power generating process is very much eco-friendly and harmless for the environment compared to the thermal power plant. Generating cost also the lowest in the typical power generating process.

History of Hydro Power:

Ancient people are learned to use hydro-power grinding flour and other tasks. Near about 1770 AD, French engineer Bernard de Belidor architected some technique to use hydro-power in horizontal and vertical-axis machines and since late 19th-century hydro-power is using widely for industrial purposes. In 1878, William George Armstrong developed hydroelectric power plant for the very first time.

Now about 16 per cent of global electricity is generating from hydro-power plant. Asia-pacific region is generating about 32 per cent hydroelectricity and the Three Gorges dam in China is the world largest hydroelectricity power plant so far.  China, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela are the largest hydro-power producer country.

Read more articles:

Ancient Electricity Generation and Using Procedure

History of Electricity in Bangladesh

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Largest Hydroelectric Power Plant:

The Three Gorges Dam in China is the world largest hydroelectric power plant which completed in 2012, generating capacity of 22,500 megawatts (MW), height about 594 feet (181 meters (m), length about 7,770 feet (2, 335 m), the surface area of reservoir about 400 square miles (1,045 square kilometres) and extends upstream from the dam about 370 miles (600 kilometres).

To gather a basic idea about hydroelectricity generation worldwide we can quote some world largest hydroelectric power plant with generating capacity:

Three Gorges Dam, China: 22,500 MW

Itaipu, Brazil & Paraguay: 14,000 MW

Guri, Venezuela: 10,200MW

Tucuruí, Brazil: 8,370 MW

Grand Coulee, United States of America: 6,809MW

Sayano-Shushenskaya, Russia: 6,400 MW

Longtan, China: 6,300 MW

Krasnoyarsk, Russia: 6,000 MW

Robert-Bourassa, Canada: 5,616 MW

Churchill Falls, Canada: 5,428 MW

Fig: Hydroelectricity of Generation 

Sources: Wikipedia/ http://water.usgs.gov/ http://www.power-technology.com/