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Niagara Power Project

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Subido el 28 de mayo de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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NASA Why? Files segment exploring the Niagara Power Project and how it works.

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Hi, I'm Joanne Wilmot, the New York Power Authority's Regional Manager for Community 00:00:00
Relations here in Western New York. 00:00:09
We got your email and understand you'd like to learn more about the Niagara Power Project 00:00:11
and how it works. 00:00:16
Well, let me show you around. 00:00:17
Before we get started, do you know anything about the Niagara Power Project? 00:00:19
I know that it sits on the Niagara River between New York and Ontario. 00:00:23
That's right. 00:00:27
The Niagara Power Project is the result of cooperation between the United States and 00:00:28
Canada. 00:00:34
As a matter of fact, the Canadian power plants are located directly across the river from 00:00:35
ours. 00:00:40
Both the United States and Canada have shared the waters of the Niagara River for many years, 00:00:42
and both countries are firmly committed to preserving the beauty of Niagara Falls. 00:00:47
Niagara Falls is really beautiful. 00:00:52
I visited once on summer vacation. 00:00:54
It sure is, and did you know that when the Niagara Project produced its first power back 00:00:57
in 1961, it was the largest hydroelectric power plant in the Western world at that time? 00:01:02
Today, it's still New York State's largest electricity generator, and here we have the 00:01:10
capability to generate 2,400,000 kilowatts of electricity. 00:01:15
That's enough to light 24,000,000 100-watt light bulbs at any one time. 00:01:21
The low-cost power generated here also saves New York State's businesses and residents 00:01:27
millions of dollars annually. 00:01:33
How is the electricity made? 00:01:35
Here's how it works. 00:01:38
The Niagara Power Project, located about 4.5 miles downstream from Niagara Falls, consists 00:01:39
of two main facilities. 00:01:46
The Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, with 13 generating units, and the Lewiston Pump 00:01:48
Generating Plant, with 12 pump turbine generating units. 00:01:54
Between the two plants is a large forebay, or open canal. 00:01:58
It's almost one mile long and about 500 feet wide. 00:02:03
Behind the Lewiston plant is a 1,900-acre reservoir, which is like a large bathtub, 00:02:07
and that holds additional supplies of liquid fuel, about 20 billion gallons worth. 00:02:14
Basically, water is diverted from the Niagara River up to 600,000 gallons a second and travels 00:02:21
through two underground conduits, or tunnels, under the city of Niagara Falls and the surrounding 00:02:29
towns to the project's forebay. 00:02:35
From there, water flowing through the Robert Moses plant spins the turbines that power 00:02:39
the generators, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. 00:02:44
At night, when electricity demand is low, the Lewiston units operate as pumps, carrying 00:02:50
water from the forebay up to the plant's reservoir. 00:02:57
Then, during the day, when electricity use increases, the Lewiston pumps reverse direction 00:03:01
and become turbine generators, similar to those at the Robert Moses plant. 00:03:08
The water then flows back into the forebay and is used again at the Robert Moses plant. 00:03:13
Using the water twice to produce electricity allows us to increase our efficiency and production. 00:03:21
You learned earlier that there are numerous ways to produce electricity using different 00:03:28
fuels. 00:03:33
Here at a hydroelectric project, we use water as our fuel. 00:03:34
So hydroelectric power is one of the cleanest and environmentally friendly ways to produce 00:03:39
electricity. 00:03:44
Is all the water in the river used to make power? 00:03:45
That's a very good question, and the answer is no. 00:03:48
If all the water in the Niagara River was used for power production, there wouldn't 00:03:51
be any going over Niagara Falls. 00:03:55
And because the falls is such an international attraction, the United States and Canada signed 00:03:58
a treaty in 1950, and that treaty regulates the amount of water that must flow over Niagara 00:04:04
Falls at all times of the year. 00:04:10
The treaty says that during the tourist season, 100,000 cubic feet per second must flow over 00:04:12
Niagara Falls. 00:04:19
A cubic foot is equal to about 7 1⁄2 gallons, so if we multiply that by 100,000 cubic feet 00:04:20
per second, there is approximately 750,000 gallons of water per second flowing over Niagara 00:04:28
Falls during the tourist season. 00:04:35
So after the power is made, where does it go? 00:04:37
The power generated here at the Niagara project goes to a variety of customers. 00:04:40
Much of it stays right here in Western New York for business and industry to use. 00:04:45
Some also goes to residential customers, both here in Western New York as well as throughout 00:04:51
New York State. 00:04:56
And a small percentage of the power generated here at Niagara is sold to neighboring states. 00:04:57
Can you tell us what can cause a power outage? 00:05:03
Power outages can be caused by a number of factors. 00:05:06
Some can simply be equipment failures. 00:05:11
Other times, severe storms, either wind storms or in the northern climates, ice storms, can 00:05:13
cause damage to power lines and thereby cause a power outage. 00:05:19
Sometimes it's just our customers requiring and using more electricity than the power 00:05:24
plant can generate. 00:05:29
That will overload the system and sometimes also cause a power outage. 00:05:31
Thanks for telling us about Niagara Falls. 00:05:36
Thanks so much for stopping by and we'll see you later. 00:05:38
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
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Autor/es:
NASA LaRC Office of Education
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
680
Fecha:
28 de mayo de 2007 - 15:34
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
NASAs center for distance learning
Duración:
05′ 42″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
Resolución:
480x360 píxeles
Tamaño:
34.26 MBytes

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