History

Since the time of Ancient Mesopotamia, water wheels have provided power to grain mills. The Romans as well as Ancient China made use of undershot and overshot water wheels to power their mills and billows as well as aid in mining. Water powered grain mills progressed to paper and steel mills and ultimately into electric power. Dams are the primary means for hydro-electric power in the 21st century.

Effects of Dams - Reasoning for conceptualizing alternatives

Dams are massive edifices that require man power and regular maintenance. Dams have a widespread affect on their surrounding ecosystems. For example, when a river is dammed the water rises and floods the previously dry vegetation which dies and begins to decay. The decaying process releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Furthermore, silt accumulation becomes a problem. Over time the silt from upriver accumulates and eventually fills the lake, meaning that dams are only a temporary solution. A natural flowing river carries sediment along its path which works as a natural fertilizer for the surrounding area. This creates two problems for the ecosystem, one it is no longer as fertile; as well as, additional maintenance due to the dredging of the silt. In other words, dredging means to smooth out the lake bed or remove built up sediment. The final concern to environmentalists is the migrating wildlife affected by the damming of rivers. Migratory fish are unable to swim upstream to spawn or downstream to the ocean. Moreover, besides wildlife the human residence of the area will be displaced by the dammed water.

Benefits of Turbines

Hydroelectric power is not the largest source of electricity; however; it “now supplies about 715,000 megawatts (MWe) or 19% of world electricity.” In the United States, “only about 10% of the total energy production comes from hydropower and only 20 percent of the nation’s hydropower potential has been developed” . The amount of electricity that a hydroelectric plant can generate “is dependent upon the vertical distance through which the water falls (the “head”)”. Manufacturing companies such as Underwater Electric Kite, UEK, have used their knowledge of hydroelectric power from dams to develop damless hydro electric turbines. In addition, Joe Holden, the inventor of the Rolls Royce Jet engine afterburner used in today’s fighter jets has used his experience to build his own damless hydro-electric turbine. The damless turbines can be implemented in the bottoms of rivers or streams as well as on the ocean floor. In the rivers, the turbines are positioned so that the current turns the turbine and produces the power. Depending on the conditions this can be very productive, and can produce more power than a wind turbine due to water’s density. Furthermore, since the turbines are not housed in the giant infrastructure of a dam many more units can be installed. The reason for a dam is to produce the water pressure. In the case of the river turbines, the natural flow of the river is providing the power. The design for an ocean turbine is similar to a river turbine. The unit is secured to the ocean floor where the current is strong in order to power the turbine. However, currents can often shift with seasons and the weather. So, the inventors at Underwater Electric Kite, UEK, developed a turbine that pivots like a windsock. As the current changes, the turbine pivots so as to keep the turbine at maximum electric output.