Hydroelectric power -- what is it? A hydroelectric water turbine is a rotating engine that generates electricity and is powered by moving water. This is why it can often be considered green energy. A hydroelectric water turbine was first designed in the 19th century and was primarily used to create industrial power before the invention of power lines. Surprisingly, hydroelectric power technology did not change much in the first 10 years of its invention. His concept was popular from 1930 to 1980 thanks to federal funding for the construction of large dams and hydroelectric facilities. Today, hydroelectric power accounts for about 96 percent of renewable energy in the United States. Oregon, for example, is home to some of the largest hydroelectric dams and some of the longest rivers in the United States. Oregon's most formidable dams are those on the Klamath and Columbia Rivers, which provide renewable energy to the state (Hunt, 1999). Now that we know what hydroelectric turbines are, how do they work? When a fluid, probably water, pushes on the front of the turbine blade, it causes a pressure drop at the back of the turbine, causing the turbine blades to rotate. When these turbine blades rotate, the rotor, which is attached to a spindle attached to the blades, also rotates. The Rotor is made up of a certain number of magnets oriented North, South, North, South... clockwise. Although it may seem obvious, the faster the turbine blades spin, the more energy is generated. In some turbogenerators, the stator, which is usually made up of a number of interconnected coils, may rotate on the axle with the turbine blades instead of the rotor. In both cases, energy can be created as long as the rotor or stator... middle of paper... and begins to decrease in efficiency. Works Cited Crawford, M. (2013). Wave currents and electrical potential: hydrokinetics seeks to introduce gigawatts of untapped hydraulic energy into the network. (Master's thesis), available from Gale. (A325174684). Hunt, R. Oregon (1999). Foundation for Water and Energy Education. Going with Nature's Flow: Hydroelectric Power in the Northwest. Jones, R. (July 17, 2012). How hydraulic turbines work: Collect energy from water. Retrieved from website: http://www.howitworksdaily.com/technology/how-water-turbines-work/ Perlman, H. United States Department of the Interior, (2013). Hydroelectric power: how it works. Retrieved from website: http://sa.water.usg.gov/edu/hyworks.html. United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Washington, (2005). Annual Review of Energy, Facilities, Techniques, 2000. DOE/EIA-0384 (2000).