Hydroelectric power is a technology which produces electricity via hydropower, or the energy released by moving water, such as for instance water moving through the course of a river or falling downhill. In the United States today, most hydroelectric power is generated by water flowing downhill, and most of this downhill flow is achieved via the construction of artificial dams. The dams are constructed so as to engender sufficient water outflow volume by way of creating a significant “head” or, that is, the difference in height between the water’s source (or crest) and the water’s outflow.

A significant enough “head” is necessary to produce a sufficiently useful flow of energy from the hydroelectric power source. This is why dams constructed for the purpose of creating hydroelectric power are built as high as is feasible. Within these dams there are turbines which receive the force of the water’s flow, and the turning of the blades of the turbines generates the electrical current which is transferred to long-distance power lines and transformed into electricity for use in homes and offices.

In addition to the dams there are some tidal harnesses which have been constructed. These draw electrical power from the flow of the tide along a coastal area. In the United States, there is a heightened interest in creating many more small, unobtrusive tidal flow hydroelectric power generators in rivers and large streams which would be used just for generating local electricity. In Canada, there is so much electricity generated by hydroelectric facilities that they simply say “hydro” to refer to any public electricity utility, even nuclear power. Norway and Iceland also generate nearly all of their citizens’ needed electricity by way of hydroelectric power.

North America has the greatest hydroelectric power capacity. Canada is the world’s leading nation in that regard, and the United States is the world’s second leading nation.

Except in nations that have a proportionate abundance of the right natural resources (i.e. a lot of water), hydroelectric power is used to handle the supplying of electricity during high peak loads. Today’s greatest single interest in harnessing more hydroelectric power resides in the fact that it is a renewable source, or “alternative source”, of electricity, since obviously the planet will never run out of water and it doesn’t matter if the water utilized is potable or not.

The big concern about using more hydroelectric power is that it may disrupt ecosystems too much if more facilities (especially dams) are installed. A secondary concern is that water demand for hydroelectric facilities sometimes conflicts with irrigation demands.

The Greeks were using hydroelectric power to turn water-wheels for the grinding of grain over 2,000 years ago. Hydroelectric power was “rediscovered” in the 18th century in the U.S. and western Europe.

The first modern hydroelectric dam was completed in 1882 on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin in the United States and could generate 12.5 kW of electrical power. It was based upon the ideas of American inventor Lester Allan Pelton, who invented a jet-free water turbine in 1880.

One of the biggest energy hogs in your home or office is the computer and the peripherals attached to it. Luckily, there are many ways that you can save energy in your daily life by just making a few simple changes. If you are interested in more extreme changes, contacting The Electric Connection, your best resource for an electrician Pasadena knows and trusts, may be the best step. However, for now, next time you are using your computer, consider these simple tips to reduce your electric usage. (Read More)

As you can see, these are very simple ways that you can save electricity and save money. Talk with an electrician in Pasadena from The Electric Connection and find out if there are other things you can do to save on your bill each month.

When you think of caring for your home, you don’t often think about the electrical system unless something is going wrong. With an electrical system, when things go wrong, they often go very wrong. You don’t want to lose your home to an electrical fire or even a life due to not having the knowledge you need to safely complete an electrical project or upgrade. That’s why you need your local electrician in Gladewater for any electrical projects you have around the house. But we truly cannot stress it enough that electrical work is not a do-it-yourself project, and to prove our point (and to keep you safe), keep reading in order to to learn the top five reasons that residential electrical work is not a do-it-yourself project.

While changing out things like light switches may seem like simple tasks around the house, and arguably they are, you’re still exposing yourself to bare wires that carry an electrical current. The average American home runs on 120 volts AC. While a quick zap from accidentally touching a bare wire will probably not be enough to kill you, you could easily be gravely injured. Low amperages can easily kill someone and amps vary widely. Additionally, if you accidentally hold onto a wire with a normal voltage, for any number of reasons, this could also kill you. The number one most important thing when dealing with electricity is safety. A professional electrician knows many of the proper techniques and processes in order to perform a variety of electrical services safely.

Like any other home project, there are some electrical projects that you can easily completed with a screwdriver or hammer, and there are others that require very specialized tools in order to complete the job properly. In fact, buying the tools to do the job may cost you substantially more than hiring a local electrician in order to complete it. Tools like a multimeter, insulated hand tools, wire striping or crimping tools, and fish poles or tapes are all essential tools for most electrical services. The costs can easily add up, especially if you just have a small project or two that you need completed.

Along with saving yourself the money associated with buying specialized tools you may only attempt to use once or twice, there are several other factors that can save you both time and money. You could spend hours trying to solve and repair a problem that would take a trained electrician a fraction of the time. Also, you may incorrectly estimate the amount of materials you need to complete the project, which can cause additional incurred costs. Lastly, you can’t get the same prices on materials that contractors can, which just increases your overall costs.

You may be great at following a manual, step-by-step guide, or YouTube video for a standard electrical repair or upgrade, but in older homes, standard is rarely the case. In fact, many older homes have wiring layouts that are anything but standard. Trying to find where wiring runs for an outlet that connects to a lightswitch may not be as easy as it sounds. This creative wiring will be tackled the quickest by a professional with the right level of experience, not by yourself when you don’t know what to expect.

Electrical work also involves keeping your home up to code for safety and for resale value. Most everyday individuals don’t have a clue what building codes are and what is required in order to keep home wiring adherent to code. That’s where your local, licensed electrician comes in. They are educated in how to keep your home up to code and the most affordable, safe ways in which to do so. If you own an older home, you may run into a situation where you need to upgrade the wiring to keep your home up to code. This can easily get expensive and complicated, but is well worth the hassle in order to protect your home, family, and investment.

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON WITH THE UTMOST IN HOME LIGHTING DESIGN

With Troy Lighting you will find an exciting mix of trend-setting designs and popular classics at incredible prices. Troy Lighting and Troy Landscape Lighting provide entire families of matching chandeliers and ceiling pendants, and outdoor lanterns and wall lights to create a unifying lighting theme.  With nearly 100 complete collections of bath lighting products, along with exterior and interior lighting, Troy Lighting offers excellence in illumination for home and office environments from traditional to modern.

Shop 1-800lighting.com to save on the season’s best light fixture designs and accessories, including exciting new pendant lights  and LED outdoor wall lighting from Troy.

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Troy Lighting is known for distinguished Hand-Forged Iron and Hand-Applied finishes.  A company that takes great pride in engineering and inspection to ensure top quality light fixtures for interior and exterior lighting applications.  LED outdoor wall lighting and landscape light fixtures are exceptionally beautiful and eco-friendly; Indoor wall lighting and exciting new pendant lights are available with Energy Smart compact fluorescent illumination and energy-efficient halogen.

Since 1963, Troy Lighting has been a trusted lighting leader. The company continues to maintain consumer confidence with outstanding service and impressive lighting designs.

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Troy Lighting goes above and beyond to provide outdoor and landscape light fixtures that are Dark-Sky friendly and in keeping with California’s Title 24 guidelines to help protect the nighttime sky view and save on energy costs.  Troy Landscape Lighting’s new “Environmental” series provides decorative outdoor lighting effects with the utmost in energy-efficiency and intelligent design.

View the latest hanging pendant lights, bath vanity wall lighting,  and LED outdoor wall light fixtures from Troy.  Everywhere you see the light, let it be “Troy to the World” this holiday season.

As part of the Littman Group, Troy Lighting and Troy Landscape Lighting join elite brands CSL (Creative Systems Lighting), Hudson Valley Lighting and Corbett Lighting, to bring the brightest new lighting designs of the season.  See all the best interior and exterior light fixture designs at 1800lighting.com.  Enjoy the best price guarantee and holiday specials throughout Capitol Lighting showrooms in New Jersey and Florida.