Hydroelectric power

Hydropower, hydroelectric power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of flowing or falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as watermills, sawmills, textile mills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts. Today, the term is used mainly in conjunction with the modern development of hydroelectric power, the energy of which can be transmitted considerable distance between where it is created to where it is consumed. Hydroelectricity is the  electricity generated by hydropower.

Hydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and perform other tasks. In the mid-1770s, French engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor published “Architecture Hydraulique” which described vertical- and horizontal-axis hydraulic machines. By the late 19th century, the electrical generator was developed and could now be coupled with hydraulics. The growing demand for the Industrial Revolution would drive development as well. In 1878 the world’s first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland, England by William George Armstrong. It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery. The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1 near Niagara Falls in the U.S. side began to produce electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power plant, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts. By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power plants in the U.S. and Canada. By 1889 there were 200 in the U.S. alone.

Hydroelectricity

At the beginning of the 20th century, many small hydroelectric power plants were being constructed by commercial companies in mountains near metropolitan areas. Grenoble, France held the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism with over one million visitors. By 1920 as 40% of the power produced in the United States was hydroelectric, the Federal Power Act was enacted into law. The Act created the Federal Power Commission to regulate hydroelectric power plants on federal land and water. As the power plants became larger, their associated dams developed additional purposes to include flood control, irrigation and navigation. Federal funding became necessary for large-scale development and federally owned corporations, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (1933) and the Bonneville Power Administration (1937) were created. Additionally, the Bureau of Reclamation which had began a series of western U.S. irrigation projects in the early 20th century was now constructing large hydroelectric projects such as the 1928 Hoover Dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was also involved in hydroelectric development, completing the Bonneville Dam in 1937 and being recognized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 as the premier federal flood control agency.

Hydropower equipment manufacturers

Renewable energy

Renewable energy sources are one of our ways to preserve life – life as a symbiotic connection of all biological forms and as a self-reproducing beauty. It is our obligation to protect the Earth as mother of our life.

Renewable or alternative energy sources are just one small step in this direction. Now we have the knowledge and technology to support our community with less damage caused to the body of the planet that will feed our children and grandchildren the same way as it has done it for all creatures since the beginning.

Geothermal power – from the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth, Hydropower or water power, Solar power or energy from the sun and Wind power are forces that were worshiped as God’s ones in ancient times and they are the heart of the alternative green energy that we can use as defender of our system.

Here, on Era-Energy, you will find a lot of useful information regarding these types of energy sources – from basic info and equipment manufacturers, through consultants, developers and installers, to the associations, governing and regulatory bodies.

What is a renewable energy? It is the one that comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat. They are pollution-free and inexhaustible. Each day these resources are forming more and more of the global energy consumption.

WIND POWER

Wind on our planet is the movement of air caused by the unequal heating of large zones of Earth’s surface by the sun. Today, wind energy is mainly used for the production of electricity. It is a clean and renewable energy source that can produce enough electricity to supply millions of homes and facilities.

SOLAR POWER

Every second the Sun produces more power than the one mankind has consumed from the dawn of history, and it has been doing that for billions of years. The energy that comes from the sun is called solar energy. It is a clean energy source that can be used. It existed when the coal and gas were formed, when the man was born and though we use it in many different ways, there is still more to learn about the main source of power that we have.

People have used solar energy for thousands of years and, as the Sun is the foundation of our existence and the largest power-plant for our needs, we can try to raise the efficiency.

HYDROPOWER

Hydropower or water power is power that comes from the force or energy of flowing or falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and as main operational force of various mechanical devices, such as watermills, sawmills, textile mills, cranes, and lifts. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

GEOTHERMAL POWER

Geothermal energy is the energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the one that determines the temperature of matter. Earth’s energy comes from the original formation of the planet.  The word geothermal originates from the Greek roots “geo”- earth and “thermos” – heat. Gaia was the great mother of all.

If you want to be a part of this changing world, if you want to help The Earth to survive or just to be independent you can make your choice now. Here are listed most of the equipment manufacturers, decision makers, developers and organizations within the industry range.