Human creations like concrete and steel redirect the river by force and put it to work. His dam alone produces more than 2000 megawatts of electricity each hour. Water as Energy Water doesn't expend all its energy at once. Engineers realized they could tap into it over and over again. That's why there are 10 dams on the Columbia River alone and 75 dams over the entire Columbia River basin.
Water turns the turbines, turbines push the shaft and the shaft spins the generators.
The river then becomes a series of machines and a tremendous resource. During seasonal changes when less power is needed, dam operators can allow water to build up. The result is a huge amount of stored energy that can be used at a later time when more power is needed. The more water that's allowed to build up, the more water is available to run through the dams' turbines. The river's energy can be stored.