1. Hydroelectric Power

2. Worldwide, hydropower plants produce about 24 percent of the world's electricity and supply more than 1 billion people with power.
The world's hydropower plants generate a combined total of 675,000 megawatts, the energy equivalent of 3.6 billion barrels of oil, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
There are more than 2,000 hydropower plants operating in the United States, making hydropower the country's largest renewable energy source.

3. What is Hydroelectric Power?
Hydropower plants harness water's energy (of motion) and use simple mechanics to convert that energy into electricity.
Hydropower plants are actually based on a rather simple concept -- water flowing through a dam turns a turbine, which turns a generator.

4. What are the parts of a Hydroelectric Power Plant?
Intake and Penstock-pull water into the area where turbine is located
Turbine-spins as water passes through
Generator-generates electricity using mechanical energy of the spinning turbine
Transformer-transforms electrical energy for passage through the power lines
Reservoir-holds the water

6. Hoover Dam

8. Picture of the shaft connecting the turbine and generator

9. 4 Years to build the Hoover Dam

10. Hoover Dam Powerhouses
Hoover Dam has 17 generators giving it the capacity to produce over 2,000 megawatts of electricity.

11. Reservoir for Hoover Dam-Lake Mead

12. View from on top of dam

13. Spillways Open-water bypasses the dam

14. Interesting Hoover Dam Facts
The Hoover Dam weighs 6.6 million tons
There is enough concrete in the dam to build a 3 inch
thick, 4 foot wide sidewalk around the earth at the equator
Standing 726 feet tall, the Hoover Dam is tallest solid
concrete dam in the western hemisphere

15. Benefits of Hydroelectric Power
Clean, very little pollution
Renewable resource
Inexpensive

16. Downsides to Hydroelectric Power
Diverts natural flow of water-changes the environment
Not suitable for all areas-need high and low elevations for gravity to cause water to move

17. Other Methods of Power Production:
Solar power
Wind power
Geothermal power
Biofuels
Nuclear
Wave power
Tidal Power
*With your group discuss how are these other power production methods are similar/different?

18. Nuclear Power
Brain POP: Nuclear Power-as you watch the BP consider the following:
What are pros and cons for using nuclear power?
How does nuclear power create electricity?
What is a chain reaction?
Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction Video

19. World Electrical Energy Production

21. How does Tallahassee produce its power?
The City of Tallahassee uses 4 power plants to generate electricity for its residents:
C.H. Corn Facility
Arvah B. Hopkins Generating Station
Sam O. Purdom Generating Station
Solar Farm
Tallahassee requires approximately 425 megawatts of electricity daily!
Source:

22. C.H. Corn Facility Hydroelectric powered
1 of only 2 hydroelectric plants in Florida (why only 2?)
Has 3 generators
Capacity of 12 megawatts
City plans to shut this plant down as it is not cost effective
*other hydroelectric power plant is on Lake Seminole
Source:

23. Arvah B. Hopkins Generating Station
burns fossil fuels (either natural gas or oil) to convert water to steam in two huge boilers.
The steam is used to drive two turbines which are in turn connected to power generators.
In addition, power can be produced when needed by two gas turbine generators located at the plant.
Capacity of 368 megawatts
Source:

24. Sam O. Purdom Generating Station
Purdom Unit 8 uses a system called Combined Cycle Technology, which effectively uses the energy from the burned fuel twice.
It then uses mechanical energy produced by steam to move the turbines.
Capacity of 320 megawatts
Source:

25. Plans for future energy needs
Tallahassee broke ground on 5/30/17 on a 120-acre solar project at the international airport capable of powering 2,400 homes and businesses. Customers can opt in to use solar energy with a fuel rate of 5 cents per kilowatt hour for 20 years (compared to 3.5 cents for fossil fuels). Capacity is 20 megawatts Tallahassee Solar Farm Building Video

26. How does the electricity get to our homes?

27. Deerlake Middle School Solar Panel
The PV (photovoltaic) panel collects the sun’s energy to generate power

28. How does it work? Click the link to see how it works:
Video:

29. Energy collected from the panel is stored in the batteries in the shed
Parts of the System
Energy collected from the panel is stored in the batteries in the shed
The system has a “brain” that determines where the power from the panel goes: either to the batteries or to offset power used from Talquin Electric

30. Solar Energy Energy is collected and stored in batteries
Once the batteries are full, power is used to offset the electrical needs of the school
Some systems will actually feed back to the local power company if it generates extra power that is not used
Our solar panel generates enough power to operate our emergency lights and two outlets

31. The meters indicate power in from Talquin Electric (on left) and power produced by the panel (on right)

32. Data Monitoring
Energy Whiz website-data is uploaded to the internet from the panel

33. Natural Gas (CNG) Buses
Watch the video:
Air pollutants are not released, just water
Natural gas is much cheaper than diesel
Natural gas is found in the United States
Leon County is currently adding CNG buses to it’s fleet, reducing the diesel buses