What Is Water Power? - Water Power - page 4

NIKOLA TESLA
Nikola Tesla was born in what is now Croatia in 1856. His mother
was an inventor who created household appliances. As a boy, Tesla
dreamed about using the energy in waterfalls to power large wheels.
As a young man, he worked as an engineer. He perfected a system
for generating and sending a form of electricity called alternating
current. Tesla brought his system to the United States in 1884. He
found it hard to win support for his system. The brilliant inventor
Thomas Edison had already begun producing electricity with a
different system.
Tesla worked for Edison for several months until they had a
disagreement. Then, Tesla had a great success during the 1890s,
when he put his electric system in place at Niagara Falls, New
York. Soon, the waters from the Falls turned turbines connected to
generators. Each generator was close to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall
and almost as wide. The power plant at Niagara Falls sent electricity
to homes that were hundreds of miles away. Tesla's work created the
fi rst large hydroelectric plant in the world. Within 25 years, about
25 percent of all U.S. electricity came from hydropower. Tesla went
on to create new kinds of light bulbs and make important discoveries
in radio, among other inventions. He died in 1943 in New York City.
There is a monument honoring him in Niagara Falls State Park.
climates , the difference in temperature can be huge. Scientists
have found ways to use the warm and colder water to power
turbines. This source of power is called ocean thermal energy
conversion, or OTEC.
The Benei ts of Using Water Power
People often generate energy by burning coal, oil, and natural
gas. These three natural resources are called fossil fuels .
They were formed millions of years ago from the remains of
ancient plants and animals. They are found deep in the ground