PESWiki.com -- Pure Energy Systems Wiki:
Finding and facilitating breakthrough clean energy technologies.
Directory:Hydro
From PESWiki
Methods of harnessing water potential for usable energy.
Contents |
Major Hydro Listings at PESWiki
- Directory:Low Impact Hydro
- Directory:Ocean
- Directory:Mixing Sea and River Water
- Directory:Capillary Action Engines
Technologies
Dams
Dam Impact
Don't waste the dam methane - Scientists in Brazil have claimed that a major source of greenhouse gas emissions could be curbed by capturing and burning methane given off by large hydro-electric dams. The technology will extract the methane from the water to supplement the energy produced by the dam turbines. (BBC; UK; May 10, 2007)
Low Impact Hydro
See also
Misc. Low Impact Hydro
- Harvesting Rain Power Via Piezoelectric Landing Pads - Scientists from CEA/Leti-Minatec in France have developed a system that recovers the vibration energy from raindrops falling on a piezoelectric structure. The system works with raindrops ranging in diameter from 1 to 5 mm. Simulations show that it's possible to recover up to 12 milliwatts from one of the larger "downpour" drops.
Pumped Storage
- Hydro > Run-of-the-River / Pumped Storage >
This is Big: U.S. Could Double Hydropower Capacity with Minimal Impact - U.S. Energy Sec. says that hydropower capacity in the U.S. could "double with minimal impact to the environment", mostly just by installing more efficient turbines at existing hydroelectric projects or at dams without power components, increasing the use of pumped-storage projects, and encouraging the use of run-of-the-river turbines. (TreeHugger; Nov. 12, 2009)
- Featured: Storage / Offshore Wind / Energy Islands >
KEMA's Inverse Offshore Pump Accumulation Station - A new concept is being explored that would use excess renewable energy to pump water out of a lower reservoir into the surrounding sea as a storage mechanism. This artificial inverse island is being considered for off shore deployment in the North Sea. (PESWIki; Jan. 28, 2009)
High Impact Hydro
- Massive Explosion at Russian Hydroelectric Dam - An oil-filled transformer exploded at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power plant in Siberia, destroying three turbines and bringing down the ceiling of the turbine hall, which then violently flooded. The dam itself did not sustain any damage. 76 possible deaths. The dam produces a quarter of the total energy of RusHydro and also feeds the world's largest aluminum smelter. The damages will take years to repair." (Slashdot; Augl 18, 2009)
- 50 gigawatts of electrical power could be released by damming the Red Sea - Damming the Red Sea could solve the growing energy demands of millions of people in the Middle East and alleviate some of the region's tensions pertaining to oil supplies through hydroelectric power. Equally, such a massive engineering project may cause untold ecological harm and displace countless people from their homes. (PhysOrg; Dec. 6, 2007)
- Hydropower Doesn't Count as Clean Energy - According to recently published estimates from Ivan Lima and some of his colleagues at Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, the world's 52,000 largest dams release 104 million metric tons of methane annually. (AlterNet; Oct. 5, 2007)
- Salmon Survival, Cleaner Hydropower Focus of ORNL Research - A new advanced turbine being tested at Wanapum Dam in Washington state produces nearly 5 percent more power, but before more are installed researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are getting input from several thousand fish. (NewsWise; April 28, 2005)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Hydroelectric Dams - Controversies Provide a Springboard for Rethinking a Supposedly ‘Clean’ Energy Source (IngentaConnect; Sept. 2004)
- Queen of England Goes Green - A $1.7 million, four-turbine, energy-efficient plant to be built on the River Thames will generate 200 kilowatts -- about 1/3 of the energy required to power the queen's Windsor residence. (PhysOrg; July 25, 2005)
As a Component in a Non-Nature System
- James D. Hardy's Self-Looped Water Pump and Electricity Generator - Massachusetts inventor demonstrates a patent pending technology in which a 165 gallon/minute water pump powers a water wheel, which is connected through belts to a one horse power generator, which powers the water pump as well as an incandescent bulb. (PESWiki; July 16, 2008)
Capillary Action
- Featured: Hydro >
Are Capillary Action Engines Possible? - For a few hundred years, many people have attempted to devise a way to come out ahead with capillary action. Yes, a dry cloth can lift water and essentially do work - but the energy it then takes to get the water out of the capillary tight spaces is considered by physics to be more than you can ever get from the absorption stage. (PESWiki; Nov. 9, 2009) (Comment)
Resources
In the News
As of Nov. 2009, we've started compiling all Hydro-related news here.
- Hydro > Ocean Wave > Buoys >
Uppsala's unique wave energy ready for commercial deployment - Swedish Uppsala University researchers have developed an entirely unique energy technology that is adapted to the slow movements of waves. It is driven by a linear generator, to which a buoy is attached with a line. Now this technology is to be deployed in the world’s first commercial wave power array.
- Hydro > Wave > Buoys > Ocean Power Technologies, Inc >
Oregon Wave Project Under Way - A project to build the US' first wave power station off the coast of Oregon is finally moving forward. Ocean Power Technologies signed a contract with Oregon Iron Works to start building 10 buoys, the first one to be deployed in a year to test the capabilities of the buoys before going forward with a 200-buoy project. (EcoGeek; Dec. 4, 2009)
- Wave >
Oyster - the world's largest working hydro-electric wave energy device - Aquamarine Power has launched the world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device in Scotland. Per its mode of action, the near-shore "oyster" produces power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine which feeds into the national grid. A potential farm of 20 Oysters provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family home.s (GizMag; November 26, 2009)
- Hydro > Tidal > Atlantis >
Atlantis To Test World's Biggest Tidal Turbine - Atlantis Resources Corp is to test the world's biggest tidal turbine in the rough waters off the Orkney Islands next year in preparation for Scotland's plan to use ocean energy for half a million homes by 2020. The AK-1000 turbine has rotors that are 18 meters in diameter, the height of five storey building and has a capacity of 1 megawatt. (Planet Ark; Dec. 1, 2009)
- Hydro > Run-of-the-River / Pumped Storage >
This is Big: U.S. Could Double Hydropower Capacity with Minimal Impact - U.S. Energy Sec. says that hydropower capacity in the U.S. could "double with minimal impact to the environment", mostly just by installing more efficient turbines at existing hydroelectric projects or at dams without power components, increasing the use of pumped-storage projects, and encouraging the use of run-of-the-river turbines. (TreeHugger; Nov. 12, 2009)
- Mixing Sea and River Water >
Osmotic Power Plant Set To Open - Norway has announced the opening of the world’s first osmotic power plant, due to begin operations on November 24, 2009. This prototype plant by Statkraft will demonstrate the potential commercial feasibility of the technology the uses the differential between the incoming fresh water and the salt water to cause water to climb against an osmotic gradiant then turn a turbine.. (Alt Energy News; Nov. 4, 2009)
- Mandates driving surge to the river for hydropower - There is mounting political pressure to get more energy from alternative sources and developers are pushing ambitious projects to exploit America's biggest rivers for power. Jeff Hawk, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh district said; "We've seen a spurt of applications; we're busier now than ever." (PhysOrg; Dec. 1, 2008)
Directories
- EnergyOcean 2008 - The 5th Annual EnergyOcean conference co-located with SubSea Survey 2008, June 24-28, 2008 in Galveston, Texas, will be focusing on renewable and sustainable energy from the oceans.
- United States Society on Dams
- Corp of Engineers Flood Control
- Wikipedia:Hydroelectricity
- Wikipedia:Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity
See also
- Directory:Hydro
- Directory:Low Impact Hydro
- Directory:Ocean or Marine Power
- Directory:Capillary Action Engines (un-demonstrated theory)
- Other Directory listings
• Latest
• A-I
• J-R
• S-Z
• Tree
• News
- PESWiki home page
