water power

The energy that comes from water is base on its potential energy because its altitude.

Their use is quite old but was on the industrial revolution when its importance came.

There are many was to use this energy but we can distinguish three groups:
 
 

• Direct use, Through communicating vessels or floodgates to move vertically big loads or ships. 
   
• Mechanical use, It was on the industrial revolution when had its bigger use. Converts the potential energy into kinetic one to be able to use it. From the old water mills to machines power by hydraulic mechanism.
   
• Electricity Power generation, quite use now days, use the potential energy to move hydraulic generators. Its implementation requires the construction of dams, derivation channels and big turbines together with several installations for electricity generation. All that implies the investment of big amounts of money ¡, so on places with cheap carbon or petroleum is not competitive. Any way, the weight of environment and its low maintenance costs gets the focus on this energy.
  It is important to mention the necessity to carry out a environmental study to ensure that its impact on the area doesn't destroy all environmental and social goodness of the project.