Hydroelectrical Energy of The High Dam in Egypt

Hydroelectric...is it an achievement?

The hydroelectric energy provided about 19% of the world electricity in 2003 and it reached for over 63% in year 2005.
The idea of the hydroelectric system is creating electricity by using the water.

The High dam of Aswan in Egypt was started in1960 in President Gamal Abdul Naser reign with a help from the Soviet Union at that time so it was completed 10 years later in July 21-1970, and It is now powers twelve generators each rated at 175 megawatts, producing a hydroelectric output of 2.1 gig watts, furthermore when the dam first reached peak output it produced around half of Egypt's entire electricity production and allowed for the connection of most Egyptian villages to electricity for the first time.

Is it efficient?

The High Dam was a great idea as it has not only provided the electricity for almost all the villages and some of the areas around it, but it has also provided many other benefits for the government as well as the people. For example the dam reduced the effects of dangerous floods and threatening droughts in the period of 1964-1985, A new fishing industry has been created around Lake Nasser, And of course it had a part in the agriculture field as it releases on average 55 billion m3 water per year of which some 46 billion m3 are diverted into the irrigation canals In Nile valley and delta, almost 8 million Fadden benefit from these waters producing on average 1.8 crop per year.

How ever, as it was a great idea and useful it also has caused some issues such as It flooded much of lower Nubia (A region in south Egypt) and over 90,000 people were displaced, it also has flooded valuable archaeological sites, And the Mediterranean fishing declined after the dam was finished because nutrients that was used to flow down the Nile to the Mediterranean were trapped behind the dam.

How does it work?

Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator, and this goes through these stages:

1) The Dam: Raises the water level of the river to create falling water. Also controls the flow of water.

2) The Turbine: The force of falling water pushing against the turbine's blades makes the turbine to spin. A water turbine has a similar idea of the windmill, except the energy is provided by falling water instead of wind. The turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy.

3) The Generator: is a device used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, and it is connected to the turbine by shafts or could be gears so when the turbine spins it makes the generator spin also. And it converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electric energy.

4) Finally Transmission lines: Conduct electricity from the hydropower plant to the consumer.

I personally think that the High Dam of Aswan was ideal achievement as it has saved the countries a lot of money and as I’m an environment activist I think the most important thing the Dam has achieved is that, it has massively reduced the pollution which the generator stations causes to produce electricity, and I think that’s why many countries has started to build the dam’s as they realised its benefits.

Furthermore I was always interested in this Sustainable Technology as it is some how relevant to my course from the techniques it goes through.

Plan of action:

• History of The High Dam and some of the achievements it has produced to the society.
• Some of the advantages and disadvantages of The High Dam.
• The procedures it goes through to create the electricity.
• Conclusion of my personal opinion about The High Dam.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam