Examples of Hydraulic Power

The hydraulic energy (also called water energy or hydro energy) is obtained thanks to the kinetic energy and the potential energy of water currents (such as waterfalls or rivers) and tides. For example: hydroelectric plants, water mills, marine energy.

The Kinetic energy It is the energy that any body possesses thanks to its movement. For example, if we lean a pencil against a paper and hold it still, the pencil does not transmit any energy to the paper (no kinetic energy).

On the other hand, if we hit the paper with the tip of the pencil, that is, we move it at high speed, the pencil breaks the paper thanks to its kinetic energy. For this reason, hydropower does not come from lakes or lagoons, but of the moving bodies of water, like rivers and seas.
The potential energy It is the one that is in an object due to its relative position within a system. For example, an apple on a tree has the potential energy of its fall, that is, the potential energy is greater if the apple is located higher.

Using the potential energy of water means that the difference in height between where the water comes from and where it will fall is used. The force with which it falls thanks to the acceleration of the gravity it becomes kinetic energy.

Advantages of hydropower

Disadvantages of hydropower

Examples of hydropower

1. Hydroelectric plants

They convert the water energy on electric power. They use the potential energy of a large body of water (the reservoir or artificial lake) due to its unevenness with a river bed. The water is dropped through a turbine, in which its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy (motion) and the turbine converts it into electrical energy.

The first hydroelectric plant It was built in 1879 at Niagara Falls. Currently, this is the cheapest form of energy, due to the low maintenance required by the facilities and the amount of energy that is obtained daily.

1. Watermills

They use the kinetic energy of a watercourse. It is called windmill because in its first uses it was used to grind grains. The water moves the blades of a wheel that is located slightly submerged in the water course. Through a set of gears, the movement of the wheel in turn moves a pair of circular stones called grinding wheels that press the grains, turning them into flour.

Currently the hydraulic wheels can also be used to obtain electricity through a transformer, similar to the operation of the turbines of hydroelectric power plants.

However, the amount of energy obtained it is much lower since the water moves at a higher speed due to the fact that the natural unevenness of the rivers is much lower than that used in hydroelectric power plants. The first water wheels were built in ancient Greece, in the 3rd century BC.

1. Marine energy

It is a specific way of using the energy of water. It is classified in:

Other types of energy