Lesson: Hydroelectric Power Physics

In this lesson, we will learn how to describe the advantages and disadvantages of generating electricity from hydroelectric dams.

Lesson Video

Lesson Worksheet

Q1:

A hydroelectric dam has 28 turbines, each of which has a maximum power output of 9 MW. The turbines are several decades old, however, and are to be replaced with newer turbines, which are more efficient and have a higher maximum output power. If each of the newer turbines has a maximum output power of 16 MW, by how much does the maximum output power of the power station increase?

Q2:

The Three Gorges Dam is a dam of the Yangtze River in China. It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, with an installed capacity of 22,500 MW.

The capacity factor of a power plant is the percentage of the installed capacity that is actually supplied to the electricity grid. The capacity factor of the Three Gorges Dam is . What is its actual output power?

Q3:

A hydroelectric dam has 24 identical turbines in it. If the maximum power output of 1 turbine is 18 MW, what is the maximum power output of the whole power station?