Hydroelectric energy, a form of renewable energy generated by harnessing the kinetic and potential energies from moving water sources such as rivers, streams and oceans, is an increasingly popular means of producing electricity with significant environmental and economic benefits.
While it offers an efficient alternative to traditional combustion-based power plants that burns fossil fuels for electricity production, there are still many challenges associated with it that have to be taken into consideration to ensure sustainable use over time. Nevertheless, it has become one of the world’s most environmentally friendly energy solutions.
Benefits of Hydroelectric Energy
Hydroelectric energy is a significant renewable energy source that uses the power of falling or running water to generate electricity. It has many benefits and has become one of the most popular forms of renewable energy in recent years. Here are some of the benefits of hydroelectric energy.
Environmentally friendly
Hydroelectric power comes with little-to-no emissions or pollutants, making it an excellent option for reducing our carbon footprint. The only byproducts are oxygen released back into the atmosphere during photosynthesis, which helps reduce air pollution compared to other forms of electricity generation, like burning fossil fuels.
Cost-effective
Producing electric power from hydroelectric sources costs less than most other methods due to its predictable and reliable nature. As such, it offers long-term savings on operation costs and does not require significant investments in fuel or infrastructure materials compared to coal or gas-powered plants.
Abundant resource
Water is a natural resource that is easy to find and will never run out. This means there will always be a chance to make more hydroelectricity if enough turbines can be put in large rivers with high flow rates. Also, even small-scale hydropower installations can make a lot of electricity at a low capital cost for their size. This makes them perfect for rural areas far from the power grid or doesn’t have access.
Reliable
Hydroelectricity is considered one of the most reliable forms of renewable energy because it doesn’t depend on the weather like solar or wind systems, which can have different output rates depending on the weather.
Also, storing water behind dams gives utilities more options for meeting their customers’ needs. For example, they can keep extra water when demand is low, like at night, and then use it during peak hours, when people use more electricity from their local grid. This lets them avoid “peak hour” charges, which can be expensive with traditional linear production methods like coal-burning plants.
Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Energy
Hydroelectric energy is a form of renewable energy that uses the power of falling water to generate electricity. While it can be an effective and reliable source of energy, there are some drawbacks to using this type of power.
High Initial Investment
The most significant drawback associated with hydroelectric energy is its high initial investment. Developing hydropower plants requires significant infrastructure investments, such as dams and turbines, which can be costly to build and maintain. On top of that, grid connections for the generated electricity also add to the overall cost.
Environmental Impact
Hydroelectricity involves:
- Constructing dams or reservoirs which cause flooding over large areas.
- Adversely impacting the environment around them in several ways, including erosion.
- Habitat damage and release of greenhouse gases due to decomposition in flooded areas.
It also has an impact on local flora and fauna by disrupting their natural migration patterns as well as destroying spawning habitats.
Low Efficiency
Another big problem with this type of power generation is that it isn’t very efficient. This is because turbine blades wear out quickly and cavitation at higher head sites causes less power to be made, both of which lead to less efficiency over time. This isn’t the case with solar and wind power, which don’t have any moving parts other than fans and pumps. This means that maintenance costs are much lower and performance is better.
Dependency on water flow variables
Generation from hydropower depends heavily on rainfall & snowfall events as these account for the majority portion (90%) of inflows/outflows, whereas the remaining 10% comes through the evaporation process occurring during the summer season, primarily making it not suitable for meeting sudden unexpected peak demand load requirements since regular river flows are usually limited at times causing restriction upon access related operations effectively unless backup storage system is added consisting massive capacity reservoirs nearby saving resources therein.
Takeaway
Hydroelectric electricity is renewable and eco-friendly. It can give reliable electricity to countries, boosting economic growth. Planning and management can minimise high initial investment costs and environmental implications. Hydroelectricity may become more essential with rising global temperatures and the demand for sustainable energy.
