Hydropower

Renewable Energy on the Farm:  Hydropower

A water wheel converts the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power through the force of the moving water being exerted against the blades which then rotate the wheel. Early water wheels such as the overshot wheel depicted here were made of wood, but companies also produced steel versions in the late 19th century.(2)

Water wheels have been used for a variety of purposes including crop irrigation, supplying drinking water to villages, crushing ore, grinding wood into pulp for papermaking, and later in grist mills where water wheels powered heavy grinding stones that were used to grind grain into flour. In addition to its historical application in agriculture, hydropower has been used to generate electricity for well over 100 years in the US. 

Hydroelectric power is a clean, reliable source of energy that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels or pollute the air through the introduction of carbon dioxide (CO2).


Hydropower plants are powered by the kinetic energy of flowing water as it moves downstream. The plants utilize turbines and generators to convert the kinetic energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to power homes, businesses and industries such as agriculture. (3)

Hydropower, Humans and the Environment


Among the direct benefits hydroelectric power provides to the agriculture industry and people in rural communities are the electricity needed to power farms, homes, and businesses, a stabilized water supply, irrigation support and flood control. 


There are many positive impacts associated with hydropower, however, as with any renewable, sustainable, or fossil fuel source, there are also negative impacts. Dams, reservoirs and diversion projects: 

 · displace local communities

 · destroy forests

 · damage wildlife and aquatic habitats

 · block migratory fish passage (4)

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