GEOL0840_S23_R6_Hydropower

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University of Pittsburgh *

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0840

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Geology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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6

Uploaded by SuperHumanStrawFrog40

GEOL 0840: Introduction to Environmental Science Spring 2023 Recitation 6: Hydropower Names: Learning Objectives The purpose of this week’s Active Learning activity is to become more familiar with energy use and hydropower and its benefits and potential impacts on the environment. What are the main alternative energy sources used in the United States and globally? How do we generate energy from hydroelectric power? What are the potential environmental impacts of hydroelectric power? This is a group (partner or groups of three) assignment. Each group can submit their assignment once on Gradescope (link on Canvas), just make sure that all your names are on the assignment. Background Hydroelectric power is a common form of renewable energy, and the power plants themselves do not create carbon dioxide emissions. However, reservoirs can lead to increases in greenhouse gas emissions from anaerobic decomposition. Brazil and Canada are the countries which rely on hydropower for electricity generation the most. Hydropower is also an important source of energy in parts of the United States, especially in the west. Figure 1:
GEOL 0840: Introduction to Environmental Science Recitation 6: Hydropower Spring 2023 Page | 2 Answer the follow questions based on the associated graphs or figures. Remember you do not need to write in complete sentences, but you should show your thought where necessary. Part 1: Energy Consumption and Electricity Generation 1. There are four main sectors that consume energy in society: residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation (see Figure 1 for data from PA). What sector(s) of energy consumption to individuals have the most control over? How? Residential and transportation as we do our everyday needs such as laundry and cooking or driving etc. 2. How has the renewable energy production for each source in the United States changed in the last 70 years (see Table 10.1/Figure 2)? Stayed the same until year 2000 that each source had some rising figures and the energy beside hydro and geothermal had rise after 2006, and the solar started rising only in 2014 Figure 2:
Spring 2023 GEOL 0840: Introduction to Environmental Science Recitation 6: Hydropower Page | 3 Part 2: Hydropower Figure 3: The figure below summarizes how conventional hydrothermal power works to generate electricity. 3. How does the flow (speed) of water in the river above and below the reservoir compared to the flow (speed) of water in the reservoir? The river above and below are very fast compared to the reservoir. 4. If water that moves faster carries more sediment, a. What do you think happens to sediments carried by a river when it reaches a reservoir? It will drop to the bottom of the reservoir b. What do you think will happen to the sediments below the dam? The workers will remove the sediments in a given time
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