00:08 · Civil Scale · 12 min
The Wall That Holds a River
How does a dam turn a river into a city's electricity?
Premieres soon
- Channel:
- 00:08
Civil Scale - Languages:
- In English, Arabic and Spanish
The question:
How does a dam turn a river into a city's electricity?
A dam stops a river and stacks it up, turning moving water into stored height. The film follows that water down the penstock, through the turbines and out along the grid to a city that lights block by block. It also shows why the wall that makes the power has to hold back the whole river, every day.
From storyboard to screen
- 01 Sketch
- 02 Animatic
- 03 Final frame
Sources
Built on primary sources
- U.S. Bureau of ReclamationHoover Dam: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- International Energy AgencyHydropower Special Market Report
A dam is a battery the size of a valley.
What you'll understand
A dam raises the water behind it, storing the river's energy as height.
Water falls through a penstock and spins a turbine, turning potential energy into motion.
The turbine drives a generator, and transformers step up the voltage so the power can travel to the city.
Because the water waits behind the wall, operators can release it when the city needs power most.
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