Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hydropower Energy

Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.

Water turbines are near the oldest ways to run power without using fossil fuels. The new age had turned these into hydro turbines that generally reside in dams. These machines take similar shape to wind turbines. Hidden in the base of a dam, there is a very large turbine that, in a simple explanation, when water runs through it spins. With the energy used by the spinning turbo it is turned into different power sources that are stored into power cells. Way back in time, this idea was used in power mills. Those old spinning wheels on the side of houses that rotate with water pressure. The first power plant was constructed in 1879 at Niagara Falls, Canada. In the United States the first plant was in 1882 in Wisconsin. These extravagant machines seemed marvelous, but that is no longer the outcome. The current age hydroelectricity dams are currently being shut down for harmful aspects triggered from the giant production. Causing an environmental failure to marine life and habitats all around. The possible outcomes are: changing the oxygen levels in the water that cause organisms to perish; fluctuating water levels that cause different

As the Law of Conservation states, energy can be neither created nor destroyed (The Secret Lives of Energy). That means that an energy source has to be use in order to generate the energy needed. It is common knowledge that the pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels over time is making society live in a contaminated world. In addition, the cost of the use of fossil fuels is increasing and becoming too expensive, forcing people to find alternate ways in which they can pay less for the use of energy. The use of fossil fuels over time has increased to a point where the remaining reservoirs have decreased by a large margin. On the other hand, renewable energy is

These alternatives can be helpful in reducing carbon emissions while ensuring the energy independence . These sources are wind ,solar ,geothermal, hydro, nuclear and renewable bio fuels. Some of these sources are renewable , meaning they can be replenished, while others like nuclear, are non-renewable, yet are clean sources of energy. For better sustainability , society continues to explore the challenges of these energy options to help implement the necessary changes for an environmentally friendly and energy independent future.

Hydropower is a renewable resource that is clean, affordable and durable. This resource is clean due to the way you gather the energy from it. hydroelectric and coal-fired power plants produce electricity in a similar way. In both cases a power source is used to turn a propeller piece called a turbine, which then turns a metal shaft in an electric generator (the motor that produces electricity). A coal-fired power plant uses steam to turn the turbine blades; whereas a hydroelectric

Hydropower represents 19 percent of the world 's total electricity production and has several distinct advantages compared to other traditional power-producing methods. Hydropower plays a major role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions since it does not require any fuel burning, potential energy (i.e. water) supply

With the rise of nonrenewable fuels prices and the estimated decline of availability in the not so distant future it is very clear that the only answer to this problem is to implement the use of renewable resources. Renewable resources are very versatile and can reduce pollution of the environment and can in the long

Hydroelectric is a form of energy it is a renewable resource. Hydroelectricity is the most important and widely used renewable source of energy. Hydroelectric relies on water, which is clean and renewable energy source. Renewable energy comes from natural resources. Non-Renewable energy source includes coal, oil and natural gas. Water is renewable because water continually recycles itself. To harness energy from flowing water, the water must be controlled; a large reservoir is created, usually by damming a river to create an artificial lake or reservoir. Water is channeled through tunnels in the dam. The energy of water flowing through the dam causes the turbines to turn and make the

Humans have made significant discoveries in utilizing the countless benefits of water, one of the most important being the ability to use water to perform work. This is the concept of hydropower. Hydropower is using the energy of moving water to create power. This clean and renewable method of power generation is used all throughout the globe, and accounts for a small percentage of global electricity demand. Hydropower hasn’t always existed as the large scale dams that are abundant today. Hydropower technologies have been slowly evolving for many centuries.

Today, many people are talking about energy production and all the new and old ways to go about it. There are many different modes of energy production that is available or is becoming available to us in the future. The constant debate about what energy production is best for the environment and which is not. In my essay, I will be describing the advantages and disadvantages of coal, oil, and Solar energy.

One resource that is essential to produce electricity is renewable energy. Providing one’s own energy consists of utilizing solar panels, wind turbines and micro hydroelectricity. Solar panels absorb energy from the Sun to produce solar energy. A great number of people who live off the grid use solar power. Wind turbines generate electrical power from the wind and functions in the reverse manner as a fan does. Micro hydroelectricity is another source of energy, which fascinatingly “uses a source of running water, like a stream, to generate electricity” (Dunn 3). Between all three sources of renewable energy, micro hydroelectricity is the most efficient, reliable and commonly used form.

Hydropower became the source of generating electricity in the late 19th century. Electricity generated by hydro power plants is simply

“Worldwide, hydropower facilities possess a significant amount of installed electric generating capacity. IEA statistics indicate that at the end of 2001 there was in excess of 450,000 MW of installed capacity within IEA member countries, with about half in Europe and half in North America. In addition to conventional hydropower, there is more than 80,000 MW of installed pumped-hydro capacity in IEA countries. In contrast, utility-scale wind power is relatively new in the electric market, but increasing rapidly” (Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems)

The term, “non-renewable energy,” is at its most basic form, means that the sources of energy will eventually one day run out and not replenish itself. Non-renewable energy comes in many forms. For example: coal, crude oil and natural gas. These sources are categorized as fossil fuels, meaning that they were formed in the past due to natural processes from dead organisms. Non-renewable energy has been proven to be very beneficial to the US, however, many people argue the negatives are not worth the benefits.

One reason for supporting hydropower is that it’s renewable. Hydroelectricity means electricity that is created from water, with “hydro” meaning water. Hydroelectricity depends on the kinetic energy of moving water in order to function and produce energy. In order for this to occur, a dam is built on a source of running water, like a river, to create a reservoir of water. This reservoir is constantly renewed through the water cycle, which is an endless cycle where water constantly evaporates to form clouds, which eventually falls back as precipitation into streams and rivers . Because of this constant renewal, water will never run out. In this case, the water falling back as precipitation always refills the reservoir. The moving water then spins the blades of a turbine, which turns a shaft in a generator, which generates electricity that eventually travels through wires to