Question: How do hydroelectric dams work?
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Just outside of Atlanta, Georgia there is a small hydroelectric dam along the Chattahoochee River. The dam is fenced in a Georgia Power complex and only authorized personnel are allowed inside, but Joost and I found a way, canoeing! Georgia Power created the Morgan Falls Dam in 1904 to generate power for Atlanta’s streetcars. Today it produces over 16 megawatts and can power nearly 5000 homes. The dam (seen in the satellite image below) is 314m (1031 ft) long and 17m (56 ft) tall. For comparison, this dam is 1000 times smaller (in terms of power generation) than Canada's La Grande Rivière Dam (the world's largest as of 2005).
Joost and I set out (rather late in the day). We started at Bull Sluice Lake—just north of the dam—and went 8 miles downstream until we got to his house. The trip was just over 3 hours long (with many, many stops) and when we got out of the water it was pitch black and very foggy. The trip wasn’t the safest thing we’ve ever done, but by comparison it wasn’t too bad. We had some rather dangerous stops though; the first was for us to climb a cliff:
And of course another was by the water intake of the hydroelectric dam:
The ride was rather scenic though:
Hydroelectric energy is a very smart alternative to traditional sources of energy as it is renewable and does not produce pollution. 20% of the world’s power comes from hydroelectricity and many countries such as Iceland and Australia are heavily dependant and hydroelectricity. Hydropower comes from any type of water movement (tidal, downhill flow, falling, etc.). The kinetic energy of water is harnessed to drive generators, which produce electrical energy. The basic premise is described in the diagram below (courtesy TVA):
Two of the seven turbines (compare to the size of the man):
The dam & power grid:
The dam:
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