Why can’t we install small water turbines in California’s expansive aqueduct system?
In: Technology
I will add that most people don’t really have an understanding of how water (or wind) energy gets converted into electricity.
Slightly complex version: Whenever you spin a turbine, if you have no electricity flowing out of it you only need to overcome the inertia of the machine itself. However as you start increasing the electrical energy being output by the generator, you will have a counter force that works against your mechanical torque to slow down the generator and you need to push harder to get it to spin.
Easier version: the more energy you want to get out, the more the generator fights you. This put a hard limit into how much energy you can extract from a given pipe.
Latest Answers