Hydroelectric Power

Hydropower is the power of flowing water to create energy. Waterpower is the largest source of renewable energy in the world accounting for 63% of power harnessed from renewable sources. When water falls from a great height, there is an enormous amount of potential energy in the system. This potential energy is used to turn turbines that ultimately generate hydroelectric power. The amount of potential energy contained in hydropower is directly proportional to the height difference and the volume of water passing through. Utilizing this property, greater hydropower is generated in times of high demand by moving water between reservoirs placed at different heights. This is called, “pumped storage energy,” which is currently the only method for storing large amounts of power and to cope with daily fluctuation of high power demand. During low electricity demand periods, water is pumped from lower areas to higher areas and released back into the turbine downstream during greater power demand.

Other types of hydroelectric power generation methods include plants from sources with no reservoir capacities (run of the river plant) and hydropower plants that utilize the power of tidal waves to generate electricity. Most plants are large-scale, used for generating electricity over an entire state or more. Some are however, dedicated, captive units created to provide hydroelectric power for a specific industry with high-energy demand. In some situation small hydroelectric power plants are also built to supply power to isolate places. Typically small hydroelectric plants supply 10MW –30 MW of power. These small plants may be further divided into micro- hydroelectric power plants (1 MW of power) and micro-hydroelectric power plants (2kW –100 kW). Small hydroelectric power plants are particularly popular in China. Niagara falls in the USA is the largest source of hydroelectric power and along with other hydro plants the USA produces and consumes 291.2 Trillion Watts of electricity.

Hydroelectric power plants are a highly sustainable source of energy and are not dependent on any fuel for operations and for the same reason nit affected by the cost factors associated with market fluctuations. The operational and manpower costs for hydroelectric power generation are low making return on investment very high. Negligible amounts of green house gases are emitted, making hydropower eco-friendly. Dams built to harness waterpower usually serve multiple purposes like irrigation, water sports, aqua culture and so on.

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Hydroelectric power generation has its own share of damages done to the eco-system. The most important being adversely affecting fish ecology. For instance, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of n. America record a lower salmon population than earlier. Salmon spawn traveling from rivers to seas is harmed when passing through turbines. This deleterious effect actually lead to the demolition of a dam. Research is being conducted to design hydroelectric power generation plants that may be friendlier to fish. The other ecological problem is the deepening/erosion of riverbeds. Due to irregular fluctuation of water flowing through the dams, there is constant change in dissolved oxygen content and the also increases the water temperature leading to thermal toxicity to the aquatic biota. All these factors affect the water biota. Building dams also lead to disruption of bird ecology in the region resulting in dwindling numbers of water and migratory birds.

Another non-environmental problem associated with hydroelectric power generation is the dilemma and chaos related to relocation/dislocation of people living in the area of the dam. This has been the subject of much political and social unrest especially in heavily populated countries like India. Hydroelectric plants are also facing flow shortages in the recent past.

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Nevertheless, hydroelectric power is the one of the most sustainable energy sources the load generation, unlike wind power is more predictable and also more easily regulated for chosen needs. With Hydropower there are absolutely no noxious /green house gases emitted, no heavy metal pollution or nuclear waste generation. As waterpower depends on the amount of watershed, it may be relevant and critical to preserve the ecology and climate more carefully to exploit this source of energy.

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