Hydropower plants
Hydropower plants use the gravitational or kinetic force of stored or flowing water to convert the energy into electricity. Hydropower is the most widely used form of renewable energy.
The following types of hydropower plants are available depending on the water head and flow:
Storage power plants
High heads and medium flow
- Pelton turbines
- Peak load generation
Pumped storage power plants
Using/pumping of water between upper and lower reservoir
- Pump turbines
- Support for grid stability and peak load
River power plants
- Low head and medium/large flow
- Rivers with small or no reservoir, no large head change possible
- Francis, Kaplan and bulb turbines
- Base load power stations
Tidal power plants
Using the ocean energy of tides
- Bulb turbines
Tidal current power plants
- Using the tidal current flow