Hydro Power


  1. The proposed Basin Mills Development on the Penobscot river would have been a 64 foot high dam. The average flow rate on the Penobscot is 14,000 cubic feet per second. What is the average amount of power that this dam could deliver? Assume that the falling water can be converted into electric energy with an efficiency of 80%.
  2. How much energy does a typical household use per month? How many households could this Dam supply power for?
  3. Do some research and find out how much power other plants (hydro, nuclear, and fossil fuel) in Maine produce.
  4. Estimate the flow rate of the small stream on campus. (Or, estimate some other stream on the island.) In your write up be sure to state how you performed this estimation.
  5. Estimate how much power the little stream could provide. To do so you'll need to figure out the vertical drop of the stream.
  6. Translate the power of the little stream into some understandable numbers. Could the stream provide power for a dorm, the entire campus, one office?
  7. How much per year would COA save on its electricity bill?


Optional Other Stuff to Think About if you Want:


The following web sites may prove useful:

  1. http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/fortune/284/hydro.html.
  2. http://zebu.uoregon.edu/1997/ph161/l29.html.
  3. http://solstice.crest.org/renewables/re-kiosk/hydro/index.shtml.



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