Hydroelectric power is produced with moving water
Because the source of hydroelectric power is water, hydroelectric power plants are usually located on
or near a water source. The volume of the water flow and the change in elevation—or fall, and often
referred to as head—from one point to another determine the amount of available energy in moving
water. In general, the greater the water flow and the higher the head, the more electricity a
hydropower plant can produce.
At hydropower plants water flows through a pipe, or penstock, then pushes against and turns blades
in a turbine that spin to power a generator to produce electricity.
Conventional hydroelectric facilities include:
Run-of-the-river systems, where the force of the river's current applies pressure on a turbine. The
facilities may have a weir in the water course to divert water flow to hydro turbines.
Storage systems, where water accumulates in reservoirs created by dams on streams and rivers and
is released through hydro turbines as needed to generate electricity. Most U.S. hydropower facilities
have dams and storage reservoirs.
Pumped-storage hydropower facilities are a type of hydroelectric storage system where water is
pumped from a water source up to a storage reservoir at a higher elevation. The water is released
from the upper reservoir to power hydro turbines located below the upper reservoir. They usually
pump water to storage when electricity demand and generation costs, or when wholesale electricity
prices are relatively low, and release the stored water to generate electricity during peak electricity
demand periods when wholesale electricity prices are relatively high. Pumped-storage hydroelectric
systems generally use more electricity to pump water to the upper water storage reservoirs than
they produce with the stored water. Therefore, pumped-storage facilities have net negative
electricity generation balances
