What can water do?

The main way of water energy utilization is power generation. Hydroelectric power generation is to use the water energy contained in rivers to generate electricity. The most commonly used method is to build a barrage on the river to concentrate the water energy resources scattered in the river section, and then pump out the water with concentrated water energy by the water diversion pipeline to make the hydro-generator set in the plant rotate. During the operation of the device, water can be converted into electrical energy. Because of the use of water energy, the water flow itself has no loss and can still be used by the downstream water department.

Hydroelectric power generation has the following characteristics:

(1) As a resource, water can be supplemented by precipitation in the natural water cycle, making water an inexhaustible renewable energy source, so its power generation cost is very low.

(2) Hydropower can be combined with other water conservancy undertakings. In order to make hydropower generate electricity, it is often necessary to build reservoirs, which can undertake tasks such as flood control, water supply and shipping development.

(3) The water turbine installed in the hydropower station is convenient and flexible to start, and is suitable for being used as a transformer in the power system, which is conducive to ensuring the quality of power supply.

(4) After the completion of the hydropower station, it can continuously provide cheap electricity.

(5) Hydroelectric power generation does not pollute the environment and is recognized as a clean energy source.

Of course, hydropower also has its inherent shortcomings. To build a large reservoir, it is often necessary to relocate a considerable part of the population in the reservoir area, not only to increase investment, but also to increase a series of resettlement workload, which is a unique problem in building a large hydropower station. However, its advantages are still worthy of attention.

Because hydropower has many advantages, it is an important way to give priority to hydropower development in the world. Only when hydropower is developed, can more thermal power and nuclear power plants be built.

Among the top nine countries with rapid hydropower development, the degree of hydropower development in France and Italy has exceeded 90%; The development degree of the United States, Ghana, Japan and Norway is 40% ~ 60%; The former Soviet Union and Brazil are about 15% ~ 20%, and China is less than 5%. The average development degree of hydropower resources in developed countries is over 40%, and that in developing countries is 7%. There are 35 countries in the world whose hydropower generation accounts for more than two thirds of the total power generation, among which Norway, Canada and Zambia account for 99% of the total power generation in these countries, while China's hydropower generation accounts for only 20% of the total power generation in China.