Assume a hydro power plant with 85% efficiency and 30m head. It is measured that 60 kg of water passes through the turbine in 1 s. What is the output electrical power of this power plant?
a) less than 1 kW
b) between 1 kW and 10 kW
c) more than 10 kW
Please show calculations!

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Accepted Answer

The potential energy of each kg of water, before it falls, is   (M G H) = (1kg) (9.8 m/s²) x (30 m) = 294 joulesThe potential energy lost by 60 kg of water pouring through is      (60 x 294) = 17,640 joulesThe power output of the plant is          (17,640 joules/sec) x (85%) = 14,994 watts                                                = almost but not quite 15 kW.(If you used 10 for gravity, it would come out to 15.3 kW)

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