Distributed Renewable Energies for Off-Grid Communities

Chapter Ten

Hydropower

10.1 Hydroelectricity

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power, hydroelectricity or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which is then harnessed for useful purposes. For thousands of years, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as watermills, sawmills, textile mills, dock cranes, and domestic elevators. In the last century, the term began to be associated with the modern development of hydro-electric power. This energy can be transmitted considerable distance between where it is created to where it is consumed (Figure 10.1).

Figure 10.1 A conventional dammed-hydro facility (Hydroelectric Dam) is the most common type ...