While solar and wind tend to get the vast majority of the attention, there are a number of different power sources out there which can be utilized while eschewing fossil fuels. Each of them comes, naturally, with their own advantages and disadvantages making them most suitable for different areas.
There is no “one size fits all” solution to energy as a whole at the current time, but let’s take a close look at hydroelectricity.
How Does Hydroelectricity Work?
Hydroelectricity works pretty much the same as coal and most other power plants: it allows the conversion of kinetic energy into electric energy through the use of turbines.
Hydroelectric plants do this quickly and easily: by creating a dam and then controlling the flow of water through the intake of the generator which is attached to the turbine creates electrical flow.
This can be done in one direction, or the entire flow can be reversed during times of less demand. In either case, the reservoir of water essentially acts as a “battery” by storing mechanical energy which can be released to meet the current demand for electricity.
Pros of Hydroelectricity
There are some rather obvious advantages to using hydroelectricity over sources which require burning a non-renewable fuel:- Renewable-The simple action of transferring mechanical energy held by water and gravitational force is quite renewable. This is especially the case when you’re looking at pumps which “recycle” the water when power demand lessens and depends on the climate, but in theory, the plants can last as long as their parts with no real “fuel” input although if the reservoir runs dry it will cause obvious problems.
- Reliability-Hydroelectric generation is extremely reliable. Except for the chance of a reservoir disappearing, the power output which comes out of one of these plants is tightly controlled and can remain the same pretty much no matter what the weather or supply. The only real reason this will change is if there’s higher or lower demand, in which case the intake can be modified to fit.
- Flexibility-Alongside the reliability of these plants, they’re also remarkably flexible by design. The intake can be changed to meet demand for power rather easily.
- Non-polluting-Once constructed, a hydroelectric plant doesn’t produce any extra pollution. This makes them one of the greenest sources of energy available since there’s no exhaust or waste which needs to be disposed of at the end of the process.
- Safe-By their very nature, hydroelectric plants are quite safe. There are no harmful chemicals required, and once constructed there’s almost no risk to human life.
Currently, these plants supply 16.6% of the world’s supply and make up the vast majority of the renewable energy produced at 70%. There’s a good reason for that: hydroelectric plants can provide simply amazing amounts of energy when utilized.
Of course, not all is perfect with these plants, as we’ll see in a moment.
The Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power
Unfortunately, despite the attraction of this kind of power, there are significant problems with it.
The primary con of hydroelectric power is this: the implementation of a hydroelectric dam has downright disastrous consequences for the environment.
This includes not only the large amounts of change which must be put into placing plant itself but also upon the various fauna and flora of the area which actually inhabits rather specific ecological zones which can be changed drastically while a reservoir is being formed.
Even in areas where a natural reservoir can be used, the fluctuations in water level caused by the usage for energy creation can be quite significant.
The primary con of hydroelectric power is this: the implementation of a hydroelectric dam has downright disastrous consequences for the environment.
Hydroelectric plants are also quite expensive to build. While this is true of power plants in general, there are certain engineering hurdles which are specific to this kind of power generation which must be overcome with each iteration. They can’t exactly be built to one lasting specification.
There is also the possibility of droughts to contend with. Unpredictable water shortages are a serious problem anyways, but with hydroelectric power, they can also affect the power supply which causes a whole new set of problems.
And lastly, there are only a limited number of places which are suitable for hydroelectric power. This is, perhaps, the biggest hurdle to their implementation as it requires a special set of environmental circumstances in order to create one which will supply a considerable amount of power.
All of these challenges have been overcome at various times, of course, but they pose a serious challenge not only to the creation of hydroelectric power stations but also lay their creation on top of a troublesome ethical quandary.
Is Hydroelectric Power Sustainable?
The biggest question which remains for most people seriously looking into the usage of hydroelectric power is this: is this kind of power truly renewable and sustainable?
The answer, unfortunately, is… well, sometimes.
By their very nature, the spots where this kind of power is limited by nature itself. On top of that, it disrupts ecosystems to a big degree and there is one huge factor which is rarely talked about: the relocation of people is often required during the construction of hydroelectric power plants.
This opens an entirely different can of worms when it comes to civil unrest, and indeed there have been quite large incidences of protests and other negative actions performed by populaces who have been forcibly moved during the construction of reservoirs.
This varies quite a bit from region to region, of course, depending on the governing body’s ability to adequately compensate the displaced individuals.
There are three major types of hydroelectric to consider as well:
Alongside the reliability of these plants, they’re also remarkably flexible by design. The intake can be changed to meet demand for power rather easily.
Hydroelectric dams are the first ones which come to mind for many people. These include projects like Hoover Dam, with their massive environmental footprint and enormous energy capacity. Even then they’re often used to produce peak power for other kinds of power plants due to the flexibility inherent in their design.
Run-of-the-river hydroelectric don’t involve nearly as much environmental damage or displacement. While they’re technically considered “small” they have reached some serious capacity over time while reducing the environmental footprint in comparison to dams. They still cause problems in river down-flow, however, and aren’t quite as reliable.
Mini-hydropower is usually used on a community level. These are smaller plants, with their output measured in Kilowatts rather than mega or gigawatts, but cause much less environmental damage than their larger counterparts. They also provide much less power comparatively, resulting in a basic trade-off.The Takeaway
Like most sources of power, the only way to truly weigh the pros and cons of hydroelectric power is in direct comparison to the situation it’s going to be implemented in.
What works in some areas isn’t going to work in all of them, but with the large scale ecological transformation which almost invariably follows the implementation of large-scale hydroelectric projects they can often cause as many problems as they solve.
In areas where large-scale run-of-the-river and dams can be installed with relatively little displacement of people, however, they provide vast amounts of reliable, flexible power to the grid. This alone makes them an attractive option for many communities.
However, with a limited number of areas in the world where they can be installed with considerable ease, it would seem after some study that they do serve a crucial role: as a way to generate flexible and reliable peak power on top of the existing grid, hydroelectric power shines.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as efficient as one would hope when it comes to being the sole provider of power in an area. While it has worked out well as the primary power source in some regions, Ethiopia comes to mind, in most developed countries it’s not feasible to replace more than a portion of the grid in this manner.
Is Hydroelectric Power the Future?
Hydroelectric power is growing at a rapid rate, with a projected 3.1% increase per year in the future and the growth rate in the rapidly-industrializing portions of Asia is showing to be quite promising.
The power provided in this manner is safe and reliable, as well as allowing more or less power to be transferred to the grid on demand, provided that the benefits outweigh the environmental damage.
Unlike many of the power sources out there, the use of hydroelectric will vary massively based on the scale of the project, the area it’s being introduced, and even the government which is seeking to implement things.
Is hydroelectric the future?
Not by itself. It is looking to be a vital part of the infrastructure of many developing nations around the world, however, and the lack of release of toxic emissions or need for the disposal of toxic waste makes it quite attractive.
The damage is going to be done one way or another, and hydroelectric power is great at making sure that the environmental impact of a power project occurs entirely up front, instead of slowly being spread through the years.
It’s not perfect, but neither is anything else and it’s definitely looking to be part of the solution to eventually weaning the world off of fossil fuels as a whole.