No Place for Us? (Smart Hydroelectric Dam & Turbine Generator)
Source: Stemoto Original
Explore dam construction and village displacement (Khedi village / Tehri Dam). Construct a working hydroelectric dam model with a water turbine generator that converts falling water head into clean electricity.
Categorisation
Props & Materials Required
- •Acrylic water dam model with sluice gate mechanism
- •Water turbine wheel connected to 5V DC generator
- •INA219 voltage & current sensor module
- •ESP32 controller board
- •16x2 LCD display screen
- •DFPlayer Mini MP3 module + 3W speaker
Step-by-Step Instructions
Fill Reservoir Tank
Fill the dam reservoir with water.
Open Dam Sluice Gate
Open the dam sluice gate. High-pressure water shoots out through penstock pipe.
Rotate Turbine Generator
Water jet spins turbine wheel fast! DC generator converts kinetic energy into electricity.
Read Hydroelectric Power Output
LCD displays 'Voltage: 4.8V | Power: 1.2 Watts! Village lights powered!' Speaker discusses dam social impacts.
Why It Works & Notes
No Place for Us? examines social and environmental impacts of large dams (clean electricity vs displacement of river villages). Building a working water turbine generator quantifies how gravitational potential energy converts into electricity.
Looking Around Class 5 Chapter 18: No Place for Us? | STEM Tech: Hydroelectric Potential-to-Kinetic Energy Conversion & Turbine Telemetry — hydroelectric power plants.