Final answer:
A microhydro dam generating 2.5 GW of power would produce 21,900 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy annually, assuming it operates continuously throughout the year.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a microhydro dam generates 2.5 GW (gigawatts) of power, we can calculate the annual energy production by multiplying the power by the number of hours in a year.
There are 8,760 hours in a non-leap year, so the calculation would be:
Energy (in watt-hours) = Power (in watts) × Time (in hours)
Energy = 2.5 GW × 8,760 hours
Since 1 GW = 1 ×10¹¹ W, we convert 2.5 GW to watts:
Energy = 2.5 × 10¹ W × 8,760 hours
Energy = 2.5 × 10¹ W × 8,760 hours
Energy = 2.19 × 10¹µ4 watt-hours
Now, since 1 TWh (terawatt-hour) = 1 × 10¹² watt-hours, we can calculate:
Energy = 21,900 TWh annually
Therefore, a microhydro dam producing 2.5 GW of power continuously would produce 21,900 TWh of energy annually.