In Indonesia, one of the safest large-scale sources of electrical energy is the Hydroelectric Power Plant. Hydroelectric power is indeed the best choice at this time, given the incomplete utilization of other types of power plants such as nuclear (nuclear) and nuclear (steam).
The presence of abundant water on the mainland of Indonesia and other countries in the world has led to the establishment of many super large hydropower plants capable of producing electrical energy with massive capacity as well. So that not infrequently the hydropower plant that is built covers a very large land, even included in the ranks of the largest buildings in the world.
In addition, energy converters or converters found in each of the largest hydropower dams must use the latest technology and have a multiplied amount in order to be able to produce maximum energy while remaining stable and environmentally friendly.
Here are 5 dams that also play the role of the largest hydropower plant that also produces the largest energy in the world.
1. Grand Coulee
The Grand Coulee Hydroelectric Power Station, located in the state of Washington, on the Columbia River, is the largest dam in the United States with a length of 1.6 kilometers and a width of 503 meters. Part of the waters of the Grand Coulee itself is estimated to be able to accommodate all the giant pyramids in Giza. Another uniqueness is that the hydropower plant is located at an altitude of 115 meters above sea level, making it two times higher than Niagara Falls. While in terms of technology, the Grand Coulee is capable of producing power up to 6,809 megawatts. This much power is produced by 3 giant power plants that accommodate 30 Francis type turbines which are known to have high efficiency. One plant located in the middle of a concrete dam is still under development and is expected to be completed in 2017, with turbine capacities up to 805 megawatts per unit.
2. Tucurui
Moving south from the Grand Coulee hydropower plant, there is the fourth largest electricity generating dam in the world located in Brazil, the Tucurui Hydroelectric Power Plant. This concrete dam stretches across the Tocantin river with a total length of 12 kilometers and a height of 78 meters. The construction of the dam, which began in 1975 and was completed in 2010, cost no less than Rp 64 trillion. This exorbitant price is paid for with the performance of the Tucurui Hydroelectric Power, which is able to produce electricity up to 8,370 megawatts.
There were 14 generating units with a maximum capacity of 330 megawatts during the first construction phase of Tucurui, while the second phase produced 11 new plants with a capacity of 370 megawatts in each unit. Tucurui Dam is also listed as the first giant hydropower plant made in the Amazon rainforest. With a sophisticated gate control system, as many as 110,000 cubic meters of water can be flowed per second to produce electricity.
3. Guri
Not far from the Tucurui dam, South America still has one more giant dam, the Guri dam on the Caroni river, Venezuela. In terms of length, the Guri dam might be inferior to the Tucurui dam because it only has a length of 7.5 kilometers. But the Guri dam rises to a height of 162 meters. It turns out that almost one-third of Venezuela's electricity needs are supplied by the hydropower plant at the Guri dam. Around 20 turbines with a maximum capacity of 770 megawatts are able to produce a total of up to 10,200 megawatts of electricity. Uniquely, the Guri dam is also made with a charming design. One of the generating rooms has beautiful color patterns. There is also a giant kinetic sculpture that completes the beauty of the power plant which produces electricity equivalent to 300,000 barrels of oil per day.
4. Itaipu
The giant dam, which is the equivalent height of a 65-story building, is a joint project between Brazil and Paraguay. The Itaipu Dam was built on the Parana river which is located on the border of the two countries. The dam, which is capable of producing power of up to 14,000 megawatts, is the dam with the second largest capacity in the world. Even the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power is able to supply 17.3 percent of Brazil's electricity and 72.5 percent of electricity for Paraguay. In 2000, this sophisticated dam at Rp. 227 trillion was able to produce more than 90,000 megawatts of electricity. The Itaipu concrete dam construction holds enough steel to make 380 new Eiffel Towers. And inside the 196 meter high dam, there are 20 generators with a capacity of 700 megawatts per unit.
5. Three Gorges
The giant dam, which was just finished being built in China in 2012, still holds the record as a hydropower plant capable of producing the world's largest electricity, reaching 22,500 megawatts. Three Gorges Dam or the 'Three Gorges' dam which was built on the Yangtze River is estimated to be able to last for 70 years. The size of the Three Gorges dam is actually not too big, which is only 2.3 kilometers long and 181 meters high. But the total turbine has 32 units with a capacity of around 700 megawatts plus 2 Francis type turbines with a unit power of 50 megawatts. Not only works as a dam, Three Gorges also acts as a flood prevention and water traffic needs because it has a special internal lane that can be passed by ferries.