Monday, October 22, 2012

Head and Flow

The amount of electricity that can be generated at a hydro plant is determined by two factors: head and flow. Head is how far the water drops. It is the distance from the highest level of the dammed water to the point where it goes through the power-producing turbine.

Flow is how much water moves through the system - the more water that moves through a system, the higher the flow. Generally, a high head plant needs less water flow than a low-head plant to produce the same amount of electricity.

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