Hydropower journal

Hydropower journal.edited

What effects does hydropower have on climate change? Are the effects positive or negative?

1. According to Berga, construction of human-made reservoirs upstream leads to variations in levels of water flow downstream. These variations create disturbances over a long section of a given river. The decrease in surface runoffs downstream may result in climatic changes. These changes occur because the hydrological cycle is incomplete without the evaporation of water. Therefore, the reduced downstream flow may lead to reduced rainfall in the area. Studies carried out on The Mekong River Basin in South East Asia reveal that many people have raised concerns about the fluctuations in downstream river flow. Hydropower has led to reduced production of greenhouse gases, which are the major causes of environmental pollution. These gases also contribute to global warming, resulting in climate change. It is a suitable substitute for other energy sources such as coal and thermal power, which produce high amounts of greenhouse gases. In hydropower, the water turns turbines, producing mechanical energy. The mechanical energy is then transmitted to the generators, which convert it into chemical energy. This process involves little to no emission of greenhouse gases. However, controversy arises on suitable methods used to determine the amount of greenhouse gases produced by hydropower.
2. This source provides substantial evidence that using hydropower as an alternative source of power offers significant advantages. I did not know that hydropower had adverse effects on climate until I read this article.
3. According to the CRRAP method, the article is relatively current, published in 2016. It highlights both positive and negative impacts of hydropower on climate, making it suitable for my comparison on whether the effects are positive or negative.

Berga, L. (2016). The role of hydropower in climate change mitigation and adaptation: a review. Engineering, 2(3), 313-318. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209580991631164X

Entry 2

1. How does climate change affect the use of hydropower?
2. In the article, Hamududu, & Killingtveit recognize that climate change has a significant contribution to the production and use of hydroelectric power. Climate change affects river discharge. These alterations in river discharge affect the availability of water used to turn turbines. Also, there are problems with how regularly the water is available. Consequently, it becomes difficult to produce hydropower regularly. There will be times when the water is not enough to produce energy, resulting in periods of blackouts. This article indicates that the cost of electricity rises during the winter as there is low hydropower production. These low levels of production result from lowered glacial discharge. During the summer, the polar discharge increases leading to more production of water.
3. As a result, the production of hydropower increases. The primary source of hydropower generation is a runoff, which is dependent on precipitation. The future climate on a global scale is uncertain, and this poses a risk to hydroelectric power production. The study utilizes a group of simulations of regional patterns of changes in runoff.
5. The article provided relevant information on how setting up hydropower stations affects climate. It goes further to offer possible solutions to the problem and how to put them in effect. The information in the article is well-elaborated and easy to understand.
6. Under the CRAAP method, the article fails on the part of currency as it does not meet the minimum 6-year period. However, how hydropower plants affect climate is still visible up to date, hence the article is relevant to my research.

Hamududu, B., & Killingtveit, A. (2012). Assessing climate change impacts on global hydropower. Energies, 5(2), 305-322. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/5/2/305/pdf

Entry 3

1. For how long will these hydroelectric power plants run effectively?
2. Hydroelectric power is power produced as a result of the force provided by moving water. Therefore, as long as water continues to occur naturally, there will not be an end to hydropower production. The other variable, in this case, is the durability of the hydro hardware. Paish notes that most manufacturers produce hydro equipment with a life-span of about 25 years. Other designs are built to last for up to 50 years. These plants can service people in need of power with little maintenances. However, some plants have been in existence for over 100 years. Despite the long duration for which they have been existence, they continue to function correctly. Hydro turbines operate under remarkably steady loading conditions where they do not experience abrupt load changes. Therefore, the machines do not come under much stress. This reason makes them durable, provided they are well-maintained. Maintenance of turbines mainly involves lubrication of the bearings. Therefore the plants may remain as functional as they currently are come 2050.
3. This article illustrates that investing in hydropower machines is a wise long-term investment because the machines remain operational for extended periods. As long as the water is available to turn the turbines, electricity production will continue steadily over the years, if the machines are properly maintained.
4. Using the CRAAP method, this article is very weak in its currency as it was written in 2002. However, it stated that the machines remained functional for many years, and the devices are currently operational. This fact makes the article score highly on accuracy.

Paish, O. (2002). Small hydropower: technology and current status. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 6(6), 537-556.

Entry 4

1. What is the cost of setting up and managing these power plants?
2. Bakken & Bjorkvoll’s article indicates that setting up a hydropower plant requires the acquisition of equipment and machinery that may be costly, depending on their quality. As a result, the total cost of setting up such plants may be overwhelming, especially for small, developing countries that require rural electrification. Laghari et al. write that researchers have set out to find cheaper alternative machinery that can produce the same positive results. These methods include coming up with new designs in the hydraulic machines and electrical controllers. The purpose of the new models is to minimize the overall cost of developing mini-hydropower plants. The new designs are also aimed at providing electrical power in rural areas in developing countries where the interconnection of transmission lines from the electrical grid is very uneconomical. However, it is essential to note that setting up hydropower plans is very economical in the long run. Unlike non-renewable energy sources such as coal, water is readily available as part of the environment in many areas. Therefore, once the country manages to set up a hydropower plant, the remaining costs are manageable since they will only be maintenance costs.
3. These articles provide insight into the average estimated costs of setting up hydropower plants in different areas. This information is vital in evaluating the input cost against the expected benefits of using water as a renewable source of energy.
4. According to CRAAP, Laghari’s article scores just below the minimum in terms of currency (written in 2013), unlike Bakken, & Bjorkvoll’s article that was published in 2002. They are both relevant to my research as they provide significant estimates of the required start-up cost.

Laghari, J. A., Mokhlis, H., Bakar, A. H. A., & Mohammad, H. (2013). A comprehensive overview of new designs in the hydraulic, electrical equipment, and controllers of mini-hydro power plants, making it cost-effective technology. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 20, 279-293. http://eprints.um.edu.my/7792/

Bakken, B. H., & Bjorkvoll, T. (2002, July). Hydropower unit start-up costs. In IEEE Power Engineering Society Summer Meeting, (Vol. 3, pp. 1522-1527). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1043646/