Electric Renewable Energy Systems

5

Hydroelectricity

Sreenivas S. Murthy^*

Sriram Hegde^***    Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; CPRI, Bengaluru, India^**    Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India

Abstract

This chapter deals with the process of producing electricity from water. While historically this is one of the oldest methods of power generation, the topic has assumed increased importance in the context of renewed interest in renewable energy due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, global warming, and depleting fossil fuels. Hydro energy is a major component of renewable energy-based power generation. Unit sizes of hydrogenerators vary widely from a few kW to a few hundred MW – technologies also differ ...