How is water used for power generation?

Answer 1

The principal way that water is used in electricity production is at hydroelectric power stations. Moving water falls though turbines to spin them. The turning turbine shafts power generators which produce power.

Hydroelectric power plants capture the energy of flowing water. Water from a fast flowing stream is run through a turbine, a thing like a giant fan. The turbine spins because of the push of the water. This turning rotates a generator, which is like a huge magnet. As the magnet turns inside a coil of wire, electricity is made.

Hydroelectric power creates electricity through the spinning of turbines through the gravity of the water. The turbines spin magnets in between 2 other magnets, and the moving magnetic fields create currents in nearby electric wires which are than put thought Transformers and sent out to consumers.

Answer 2

This type of plant is called a hydro power plant. Nowadays such plants are almost always used to generate electricity. In the past, water wheels were often used to produce direct mechanical power, to grind corn for example. Water wheels were back in the day when farmers had creeks on the side of there farms, it was used to grind meal, and corn.

Answer 3

• Water pressure from dams turns turbines directly to generate electricity.
• In coal, oil, natural gas, and current nuclear power plants water is boiled then the steam is superheated and used to turn turbines to generate electricity.
• In most water cooled nuclear power plants water is also the moderator (material that slows high energy fission neutrons to thermal energies so they can sustain fission instead of being captured in uranium-238).
• etc.