Falls Water

How do scientists capture energy, such as from solar power, or energy from water falls?

And how do they make that energy into something we can use for power? What instrument do they use to do this? I am really curious.

Waterfalls - Hydro energy
Water falls from a great height, as it falls potential energy are converted to kinetic energy which den drive the turbine of an electric generator, producing mechanical power.

Solar Energy
Light from the sun are discrete packet of energy. When the light shone on the solar panal which is a p-n semiconductor, electrons are excited by the sunlight, producing an electron-hole pair. these electron-holes pair will den act as a charge carrier conducting electricity. When potential difference is applied, the charge carriers will flow in a specific direction generating electricity and hence power.

Hope this helps