Hoover Dam, originally Boulder Dam, is one of the largest sources of hydropower in the United States. Dedicated in 1935 by President Roosevelt, the dam is a wonder of modern engineering and provides a hefty part of the country with a dependable supply of water as well as clean power. With the world aiming for complete dependence on renewables, the Hoover Dam is more relevant than ever.
If you ever visit Hoover Dam you will be able to take a tour of the facility. This was the case for a recent group of Power-Gen employees who attended the dam. Unfortunately, whilst there, the elevators that take guests down into the tunnels of the dam were out of order. This meant they were not able to explore the facility to its fullest extent. Nevertheless, it was a positive experience and the visitors were shown a film and slideshow all about the dam, which acted as a substitute for the actual, physical tour.
The video informed its viewers of the dam’s technical specifications. Snippets of information as to how the power plant is operated and where the main turbines are located were dispersed and digested by an audience eager to learn. There are 17 Francis turbines in total. Eight of the turbines are on the Nevada side of the Hoover Dam and nine are on the Arizona side.
While the dam is technically located in both Arizona and Nevada, it is controlled by one main hub. Due to the fact that Arizona does not observe daylight savings, the dam works on Nevada time. These were just some of the tidbits of information imparted onto viewers at the Hoover Dam tour.
The challenge with running the Hoover Dam, as explained by a tour guide who works at the plant, is maintaining a balance between producing electricity and regulating water flow. Although the plant is a clean generator, which is fuelled by the abundant and free source that is water, it is not always the first plant to be dispatched. However, despite this, the dam generates something to the tune of 4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year.
If you are interested in the Hoover Dam and want to know more about the technical or historical aspects of it, head over to its website where you will find a wealth of information. Of course, if you really want to get to know the Hoover Dam then the best way to go about it is to visit it in person.
The Hoover Dam is an inspiring piece of machinery that was first conceived around 100 years ago and survived the Great Depression. Despite the market crash, the powers that were still pushed the project through and overcame the financial obstacles against which it came up against on numerous occasions.
Let the wonderful reign of the Hoover Dam continue for centuries to come as it provides clean energy and water to people across the United State.
