When was hydropower invented

The Theodore Roosevelt Powerplant was one of the first large power facilities constructed by the Federal Government. Its capacity has since been increased form 4, kW to over 36, kW. Power, first developed for building Theodore Roosevelt Dam and for pumping irrigation water, also helped pay for construction, enhanced the lives of farmers and city dwellers, and attracted new industry to the Phoenix area.

During World War I, Reclamation projects continued to provide water and hydroelectric power to Western farms and ranches. This helped to feed and clothe the Nation, and the power revenues were a welcome source of income to the Federal Government. This was the "big dam" period, and the low-cost hydropower produced by those dams had a profound effect on urban and industrial growth. At the outbreak of the war, the Axis Nations had three times more available power than the United States.

The demand for power was identified in this statement on " The War Program of the Department of the Interior:". The demand exceeded the total production capacity of all existing electric utilities in the United States.

To produce enough aluminum to meet the President's goal of 60, new planes in alone required 8. Hydropower provided one of the best ways for rapidly expanding the country's energy output. Addition of more powerplant units at dams throughout the West made it possible to expand energy production, and construction pushed ahead to speed up the availability of power. In , Reclamation produced more than 5 billion kWh, resulting in a 25 percent increase in aluminum production.

By Reclamation quadrupled its hydroelectric power output. From through , Reclamation powerplants produced 47 billion kWh of electricity, enough to make:. During the war, Reclamation was the major producer of power in the West where needed resources were located.

The supply of low-cost electricity attracted large defense industries to the area. Shipyards, steel mills, chemical companies, oil refineries, and automotive and aircraft factories all needed vast amounts of electrical power.

Atomic energy installations were located at Hanford, Washington, to make use of hydropower from Grand Coulee. While power output of Reclamation projects energized the war industry, it was also used to process food, light military posts, and meet needs of the civilian population in many areas.

With the end of the war, powerplants were put to use in rapidly developing peacetime industries. Hydropower has been vital for the West's industries which use mineral resources or farm products as raw materials. Many industries have depended wholly on Federal hydropower. In fact, periodic low flows on the Columbia River have disrupted manufacturing in that region. Farming was tremendously important to America during the war and continues to be today. It produces revenue which contributes toward repayment of irrigation facilities, easing the water user's financial burden.

Reclamation is second only to the Corps of Engineers in the operation of hydroelectric powerplants in the United States. Reclamation uses some of the power it produces to run its facilities, such as pumping plants. Excess hydropower is sold first to preferred customers, such as rural electric power co-ops, public utility districts, municipalities, and state and Federal agencies.

Any remaining power may be sold to private electric utilities. Power revenues are returned to the Federal Treasury to repay the cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining projects.

This book details American hydroelectric development from the first use of hydroelectric power around up to The following time line includes data from the above referenced book highlighting a chronology of American hydroelectric development. Hydropower Program. Reclamation Hydropower Hydropower Industry Information. Hydropower Program The History of Hydropower Development in the United States By using water for power generation, people have worked with nature to achieve a better lifestyle.

Hydroelectric plant design became fairly well standardized after World War I with most development in the 's and 's being related to thermal plants and transmission and distribution The Bureau of Reclamation became involved in hydropower production because of its commitment to water resource management in the arid West. From through , Reclamation powerplants produced 47 billion kWh of electricity, enough to make: 69, airplanes 79, machine guns 5, ships 7,, aircraft bombs, and 5, tanks 31,, shells During the war, Reclamation was the major producer of power in the West where needed resources were located.

It makes irrigation of lands at higher elevations possible through pumping facilities. It makes power available for use on the farm for domestic purposes. Single phase power transmitted 13 miles to Portland at 4, volts, stepped down to 50 volts for distribution. Single phase, volt, cycle power transmitted 2. Voltage increased to 10, and line extended 42 miles to San Bernadino within a year.

The amount of electricity that can be generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. The electricity can be transported through long-distance electric lines to homes, factories, and businesses. Other types of hydropower plants make use of the flow through a waterway without a dam. The world's largest hydroelectric plant in terms of installed capacity is Three Gorges Sanxia on China's Yangtze River, which is 1. The biggest hydropower plant in the United States is at the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington, a state that gets about two-thirds of its electricity from hydropower.

Hydropower has several advantages. Once a dam has been built and the equipment installed, the energy source—flowing water—is free. It's a clean fuel source renewed by snow and rainfall. Hydropower plants can supply large amounts of electricity, and they are relatively easy to adjust for demand by controlling the flow of water through the turbines.

This free-flowing river is drying up due to overuse and climate change altering snowpack. It faces a potentially massive project that would divert water away from the upper New Mexico portion of the river.

But big dam projects can disrupt river ecosystems and surrounding communities , harming wildlife and forcing out residents. The Three Gorges Dam, for example, displaced an estimated 1. Dams also prevent fish such as salmon from swimming upstream to spawn.

While equipment such as fish ladders are designed to help salmon go up and over dams and enter upstream spawning areas, such measures aren't always effective. In some cases, fish are collected and trucked around the obstacles. Still, the presence of hydroelectric dams can often change migration patterns and hurt fish populations. In the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest, for example, salmon and steelhead have lost access to about 40 percent of their historic habitat because of dams.

Hydropower plants can also cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which is harmful to river habitats. Other wildlife can be affected as well: In Indonesia, a hydroelectric project threatens rare Tapanuli orangutans because it stands to fragment their habitat. Climate change and the increased risk of drought are also having an impact on the world's hydropower plants. In the western U. Even the promise of carbon-free electricity from hydropower has been undermined by revelations that decaying organic material in reservoirs releases methane , a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

However, some argue that the environmental impacts of hydroelectric power can be mitigated and remain low compared with burning fossil fuels. The Redlands Power Plant utilized Pelton water wheels powered by water from the nearby Mill Creek and a three-phase generator that ensured consistent power delivery.

In the past century, a number of innovations have enabled hydropower to become an integral part of the renewable energy mix in the United States. Find out more about the last years of hydropower with this timeline.

Learn More. When Was Hydropower Invented? Hydropower News.