Hydroelectricity: The Power for Our Nation
As America becomes more and more industrialized, the energy needed to power the machines of industrialization increases as well. To do this, there must be a source of energy to supply this power. It must be reliable, and there must be enough of it to be used. Of course, when talking about having a lot or enough of an energy resource, renewable resources are the most ideal. A resource that is most ideal for powering our nation is hydroelectricity. It is an abundant renewable resource, with a low carbon footprint and can be used almost anywhere where there is water.
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
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.
America should pursue alternative energy sources because “With only 5 percent of the worlds population, the United States consumes almost one-quarter (22.5%) of global energy”. (((Josef Bram, 15))) With such a small percentage of the world’s population and still one of the largest consumers of energy the U.S should be looking for new and better ways to generate energy. Currently The U.S’s energy is supplied using traditional sources. According to Canadian scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil “Todays energy 29% from coal, 33% from oil and gas, and 33% from soft-energy (alternative sources)” (((Smil, 47))) Most of the energy we use on a daily basis is not produced using clean methods. Some alternative energy sources that are already in place within the United Stats are wind, solar, and hydraulic.
Moving into the next renewable energy, there is a big advantage that hydroelectric power is that hydropower dams is a huge renewable resource and using water to create electricity has no carbon footprint. As well as there is less pollution from it overall. There are many advantages but there are two distinct disadvantages, one of them being the cost to build an electric power station. The cost
The development of science and technology has led to people considering using alternative fuels to generate electricity. There are many alternative fuels that can generate electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydraulic power and so on (Fossil Fuels Used to Generate Electricity Power Plant Emissions of North America). According to the statistics by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2009, the usage of coal was still the largest source to generate the power. Sources of electricity in the United States were generated by 44.9% of coal, 20.3% of nuclear, 23.4% of natural gas, 1% of petroleum, 6.9% of hydroelectric conventional and 3.6% of others (Electric Power Monthly with Data for February 2014). Coal
Hydroelectric energy is used the most in France because France is trying to use more renewable energy sources. Due to the Kyoto Protocol, France is developing a new system of energy-related research and development for renewable energy sources. (Campus France)
David Nye is of the opinion that even if a new energy system is developed in the USA the process of conversion would be gradual and this can be seen in the evolution of the structure as well as the composition of the energy systems in the USA over time. The history energy of America can be traced in six energy systems from muscle power to “an eclectic bricolage of many technologies and conservation measures, coordinated by computer technologies” (Nye, 253). The first one took place during the pre-Columbian period where the prime mover was the muscle power and stayed relevant until 1920. New sources of energy were introduced by the European colonialists that included water, the wind as well as domestic animals.
of government, so vicious in itself, has become even more so…The Assembly, by means of its committees constantly oversteps…Nearly all the cities…have been founded in defiance of the laws…” Louis XVI did not agree with the opinion that France could be governed by a ‘National Assembly’ because of its importance and sheer size. “He placed his confidence in the wise men of that Assembly who would recognize that it is easier to destroy a form of government than to reconstruct one on totally different principles.” The king could not see any value in what was being discussed by the National Assembly and was convinced they would eventually crumble as a political system. He then goes on to ask the French public whether or not they were happy with
Is hydropower the liberator of America? Unlike fossil fuels, hydropower allows for renewable resources to be taken advantage of, while producing energy. This cost effective, environmentally friendly, renewable, and safe, energy source entitled hydropower can replace fossil fuels.
“In some areas of the world, hydroelectric power is the main source of electricity' In South and Central… power. Norway gets 95 percent of its electricity and over 50 percent of all its energy from hydroelectricity. Canada gets 59 percent and the United States gets about 8 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric plants” (Enger and Smith 222). With the development of efforts being made to benefit the environment, why wouldn’t anyone agree to switch to renewable energy? Hydropower has been used in the past to power a number of machines and it worked
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
Our nation, in my opinion, is by far the best, most civilized, and most advanced nation in the world. Our industrial revolution truly is remarkable, we have come so far, and we are still thinking forward and doing our very best to further, advance and better our society and country. Yes, many other countries or nations may have knowledge of things we have not yet uncovered, and this is why we should have and maintain peaceful and positive relations with them, however, we should not interfere or spread our ideologies and culture to other foreign nations for they have their own. Further, there is power, creativity, and advancement in diversity. What good would it be if we made other nations, with their unique histories, philosophies, beliefs,
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.
Hydroelectric power plant is one of the major power plants all over the world in order to create electricity. It is also one of the best renewable energy sources on the planet earth. In ranking, Canada is the third largest country to produce hydroelectricity power. The efficiency of this power source is 90% and this is very impressive as the percentage of efficiency is very high. Hydro power plants generate 24% of the world’s electricity. More than 1 billion people are associated with hydro power plants as they use the power supply from hydro power plants.
With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.
Figure above shows the percentage of electric energy in the U.S. Over 50% of the energy is from coal. This year nuclear energy use was increasing; however, it creates radioactive. Natural gas will pollute the air and caused global warming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wind is the fastest growing energy resource. It increased by 46.6 percent by 2005.