1.5 ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION FROM …（1.5发电u2026）.pdfVIP

14 1.5 ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES Water energy has been the most widely used form of renewable energy for the production of electricity. With today’s emphasis on environmental considerations and conservation of fossil fuels, other renewable resources are being used to em- ploy the energy sources of the sun and the earth for electricity generation. Some of these resources that represent a viable alternative to fossil fuels are solar power, wind power, geothermal, biomass, and tidal power. These resources, especially so- lar power and wind power, have the capability to produce sustainable energy in- definitely with no direct emission of pollutant and greenhouse gases. Power plants using these renewable sources of energy are described in the following sections. The aspiration for bulk generation of power in the future is nuclear fusion. If nuclear fusion is harnessed economically, it would provide clean energy from an abundant source of fuel, namely water. 1.6 HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS Hydropower is considered to be a renewable energy source because it uses the con- tinuous flow of water without using up the water resource. It is also nonpolluting, since it does not rely on burning fossil fuels. Hydropower is currently the lead- ing renewable energy source in the United States. In 2009, it accounted for about 63 percent of all other renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and biomass. Reclamation is the nation’s second largest producer of hydroelectric power, with 58 hydroelectric power plants and 194 generating units in operation and an installed capacity of 14,693 MW. Almost all suitable sites for dams have already been de- veloped, so there is not much scope for further growth in water power. However, there are numerous areas where research can lead to increases in the efficiency and reliability of hydroelectric plants and decreases in maintenance costs. Presently, wind and solar