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Lesson: Hydroelectric Power Physics

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

Lesson Plan

Students will be able to

recall the basic energy transfers that take place in a hydroelectric dam (gravitational potential electrical energy),
recall that hydroelectric dams produce alternating current (because they have turbines),
recall the advantages of hydroelectric dams:
- they are quick to respond to changes in electricity demand,
- they are cheap to maintain once built,
recall the disadvantages of hydroelectric dams:
- they are expensive to build,
- they use a lot of concrete, which releases lots of into the atmosphere,
- flooding the valley behind the dam leads to plant life rotting underwater, which releases lots of methane and ,
- flooding the valley leads to habitat loss,
do basic calculations of gravitational potential energy,
do basic calculations of total power output/installed capacity.

Lesson Video

Lesson Playlist

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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?