Water and Electricity: Perfect Combination??

Hoover Dam

For any kid that has ever played Pokemon in their life, the combination of water and electricity is a no go. Everyone knows that electrical attacks are "Super Effective" against water pokemon, so why would anyone ever want to mix the two??

Hydroelectricity, that's why!! Hydroelectricity uses water to turn a turbine, which then generates electricity to be sent out through transmission and distribution lines to the consumer. As a student in electrical engineering, I had the pleasure of actually touring a Hydro plant up in Boulder, so I have a little more experience and knowledge in this area.

Most hydro plants, including the Boulder Hydro we toured, use gravity to generate the energy to turn the turbine. They transport water from a higher level down pipes using only gravity to build up energy. It then goes through a penstock, which gets narrower as it gets closer to the turbine, increasing the pressure of the water. The water is then forced through a needle valve, which makes the water into a high-powered stream. This stream is what is then used to turn the turbine. At the Boulder Hydro, they used a Pelton Wheel Turbine, which has these buckets all along it that are shaped like two concave ovals welded together, and they have a sharp ridge in the middle of them that splits the water from the needle.

ENERGY IN MOTION!!

Here is a video/song that I wrote and made entitled "Energy," and it is based off the smash single by Rebecca Black, "Friday." I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing and making it!!