Hydropower: Water You Talking About?

In light of the movement to "go green" which stemmed from the general public realizing the severe environmental issues at play, more and more people began to support the use of renewable energy sources in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and other pollution side effects.

One of the more prominent renewable energy sources is hydropower. Hydropower is defined by the International Hydropower Association as, "power that is derived from the energy of falling water or fast water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes." The flow of water is used to turn turbines, which causes magnets inside of a generator to turn and create electricity. From as early as between 202 BCE and 9 CE, humans have taken advantage of the water cycle, and have harnessed the power that water can provide.

The first operational hydroelectric generating station was created in 1882 in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Courtesy of America's Story

This station produced 12.5 kilowatts of power, which is enough electricity to power 250 lights. Within the next 20 years, around 300 new hydroelectric plants were built and operating around the world. And by the early 1900's, around 40% of the United State's electricity was being provided by hydroelectric power. This percentage decreased as time passed, and in 2014, hydropower only generated 6% of the total electricity generated in the United States.

Courtesy of OilPrice

Despite this seemingly low percentage, around 20% of the world's electricity consumption in 2006 was generated by hydropower, making it the most used renewable energy source in the world. So what exactly makes hydropower such a popular source of electricity generation?

First, hydropower is viewed as "green" since it is a clean energy source. The process used to create power using hydropower is not contaminating, so it doesn't produce any toxic or greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere. The only contamination that occurs results from the process of building the hydropower plants.

Second, hydropower is known to be reliable and safe. Since the only fuel used is water, there will be constant power thanks to the constant flow of water in rivers and other bodies of water. Not to mention, since water is the only fuel used, there is no biohazard that results if a hydropower plant were to malfunction. 

Third, these hydropower plants generate power cheaply, and require low ongoing costs. An existing hydroelectric plant can create electricity at as low of a cost as $0.0035 for a kilowatt hour. Also, once built, hydroelectric plants require almost no maintenance and minimal replacements. 

However, nothing is perfect, and there are obvious downfalls to the use of hydropower. 

First, hydropower can cause serious environmental damage. The presence of the hydroelectric plants can injure and kill fish and other aquatic organisms. Not to mention, the plants alter the water flow which influence the way that the fish migrate. The water found in the reservoirs used in plants are known to be more stagnant, which means the water will contain more sediment and nutrients which is the perfect enviornment for algae. This can cause an algae bloom, where algae and weeds crowd out other aquatic life. 

Second, the hydropower plants can take a long time to be built and cause many problems during this process. The average construction time for a plant takes from 4 to 7 years, and a larger plant would take around 10 years. Also due to the altered water flow caused by the hydroelectric plant, floods may occur in low-lying areas. In order to prevent casualties as water is released in full force from the dam, oftentimes, many people are forcibly moved and relocated. 

So, what do you think? Are the fallbacks due to hydropower worth it? Or should we stop the constructions of new hydroelectric plants and stop the use of the ones that are already constructed? 

Works Cited

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

International Hydropower Association

National Geographic