Hydroelectricity: Power of moving water
Hydroelectric energy is electrical energy produced by falling water.
Hydroelectric energy accounts for 20% of the world’s electricity.
Large hydroelectric power plants have a dam that is built across a river to hold back a reservoir of water.
The water in the reservoir is released to turn a turbine, which generates electricity.
Hydroelectric Energy BENEFITS:
Hydroelectric dams are expensive to build, but relatively inexpensive to operate.
Unlike fossil fuel plants, hydroelectric dams do not release air pollutants that cause acid precipitation.
Hydroelectric dams also tend to last much longer than fossil fuel-powered plants.
Dams also provide other benefits such as flood control and water for drinking, agriculture, industry, and recreation.
Hydroelectric Energy BENEFITS:
Hydroelectric dams are expensive to build, but relatively inexpensive to operate.
Unlike fossil fuel plants, hydroelectric dams do not release air pollutants that cause acid precipitation.
Hydroelectric dams also tend to last much longer than fossil fuel-powered plants.
Dams also provide other benefits such as flood control and water for drinking, agriculture, industry, and recreation.
The disadvantage of Hydroelectric Energy:
A dam changes a river’s flow, which can have far-reaching consequences.
A reservoir floods large areas of habitat above the dam. Water flow below the dam is reduced, which disrupts ecosystems downstream.
When the land behind a dam is flooded, people are often displaced. If a dam bursts, people living in areas below the dam can be killed.
River sediments build up behind the dam instead of enriching land farther down the river, making farmland below the dam less productive. Recent research has also shown that the decay of plant matter trapped in reservoirs can release large amounts of greenhouse gases-sometimes more than a fossil-fuel powered plant.
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