Niagara's Hydro-electric Power Generating stations
One of the firsts of Niagara Falls was the development of hydro-electric ppower in 1893. Until then, electricity could only be transmitted a short distsnce of 90 meters (100 yards), and only enough to light a bulb. But, a brilliant electrical engineer working at Niagara Falls, Nicola Tesla, developed a system of alternating current that allowed electricity to be transmitted great distances, and it was sent from Niagara Falls to Buffalo New York in 1896, 33km (20 miles) away. This changed the way electricity was used around the world
Today, with several power stations operating off it, the Niagara River generates about 4 million kilowatta (5 million horsepower). The majority of this is produced by two large dams, the Sir Adam Beck station on the Canadian side, opened in 1958, and the Robert Moses station on the US side, opened in 1963. These are located down- river of the Falls, where the drop in elevation of the river gorge is graetest and the force of gravity through the penstocks drives the turbines.
The water for the turbines is diverted from the Niagara River,before the Falls. Because or erosion, Niagara Falls used to recede at a rate of 1 meter (3 feet) every 10 years. Now that some of the river water is being diverted, Niagara Falls receides only 30 cm (1 foot) every 10 years.