Hydropower: The New Face of Energy Production

Hydropower: The New Face of Energy Production

 The use of water to generate power, known as hydroelectric power, is not a new concept in the world. James Francis engineered the first modern water turbine in 1849, and it was named after him, the Francis turbine. A few decades later, other scientists designed a hydropower plant in the United States along the Fox River (Nunez 1). Currently, hydropower accounts for about 16% of the world’s electricity. Only two states in the United States do not use hydropower. These figures show the growing importance of hydropower plants, and many other countries should follow suit. There is controversy surrounding hydropower plants as several people argue that it has harmful effects on the environment while the rest insist that it offers more benefits to the environment. To provide a better understanding of hydropower plants, we need to analyze both sides of this issue. Therefore, we take an in-depth look at the positives and negatives of using hydropower plants to generate energy.

A standard hydropower plant has three components: a power plant that produces electricity, a dam that can be opened or closed to control the flow of water, and a reservoir for water storage (Nunez 1). The water behind the dam flows through an intake and turns the blades in a turbine by pushing against them. The turbine spins a generator resulting in the production of electricity. The quantity of power that can be produced depends on the distance that the water has to fall and the amount of water moving through the system. From this information, it is clear that hydropower plants do not involve the burning of substances, which results in the production of toxic fumes and greenhouse gases. Therefore, hydropower plants are environmentally friendly and should be considered over other power sources such as burning coal.

Recent studies reveal that hydropower reservoirs are a source of methane gas emission (Delwiche, Kyle B., et al. 1). Reservoirs trap organic matter such as aquatic weeds, which then start decaying over time. As they rot, they release methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that causes global warming. This fact rules out the advantage that hydropower plants provided over energy sources that produce carbon dioxide. However, this effect can be diminished by regular checking of the reservoirs for the presence of organic material and removing them before they start to rot. Therefore, the use of hydropower still holds the edge over the burning of fossil fuels.

Hydropower plants have resulted in a reduction in levels of dissolved oxygen in water bodies, especially the lower end of rivers. This low concentration of dissolved oxygen poses a threat to aquatic life forms. The affected organisms include plants and fish, which may suffocate and die to inadequate oxygen. Many scientists have been working towards finding a solution to this problem and decided to employ the use of water withdrawals. The optimum withdrawal levels to regulate reservoir and downstream concentrations of dissolved oxygen are mid-elevation levels (Carr et al. 22). These levels are estimated to be between 15 to 25 meters. Also, there are special intakes and turbines used to ensure that the water released from a dam is well-aerated. Therefore, there are potential solutions to the problem of inadequate levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.

Hydropower plants also affect other forms of wildlife. For example, setting up a dam may interfere with the habitat of animals, such as the rare Tapanuli orangutans, by creating divisions in their habitat (Nunez 2). By interfering with their natural habitat, the dam breaks up certain aspects of the lives of the animals, including their mating patterns. This activity harms the animals’ well-being and may result in death due to stress. Moreover, the inability to reproduce significantly contributes to the extinction of the species.

Fish, such as salmon, require to move upstream for brooding to take place. The building of dams interferes with this process, thus inhibiting the fish from reproducing. Also, the presence of these structures interferes with the migration patterns of fish, resulting in significant harm to their populations. For example, in the Columbia River Basin, dams have caused salmon and steelhead to lose access to approximately 40% of their historic home.

There are two significant ways used to overcome these challenges. Firstly, scientists have developed equipment such as fish ladders, which allow fish to over dams to reach their natural brooding areas upstream (Nunez, 4). Secondly, the fish are collected and manually moved around the barriers. It is sad to note that these methods are not always practical. However, we remain hopeful that experts in this field will eventually come up with an effective solution for the issue, which is slowly gaining prominence as an area of great concern. One such development is the strategic planning of dams to allow the passage of fish.

The construction of dams may force people to move away from their current pieces of land. This movement is a significant inconvenience because the people would have to leave the place that they have grown so fond of and move to a different place without the guarantee that they will find a place to settle. Unplanned migration is a costly affair and may result in the separation of family members. When dams overflow, they are likely to cause flooding in nearby villages. Flooding is dangerous as it results in loss of property, displacement of people, and death by drowning in the water. For example, the Three Gorges dam led to the movement of approximately 1.2 million people and led to the flooding of several villages.

In recent years, there is the regulation of the amount of water flowing through dams. By doing this, the water cannot overflow in the barriers, hence flooding cannot occur. Also, many governments around the globe have come up with initiatives to bring down all dams that are no longer beneficial to the people. This move will allow displaced people to reclaim the lands from which they were displaced. If nobody initially occupied the land on which the dams were built, people could move to the areas and establish new settlements. Tearing down non-functional dams will see the restoration of more natural rivers, allowing animals, such as fish, unrestricted movement within the river.

The establishment of small hydropower plants makes use of current water flow. As a result, such plants do not interfere with any aspect of nature within the environment. People can obtain electricity from these mini-plants without worrying about them being hazardous to the environment.

Even though the use of hydropower is relatively cheaper to establish and maintain compared to non-renewable sources of energy, the forces of nature can significantly limit the usage of this power source. Climate change, and particularly drought, has a significant limiting effect on the use of hydropower. Drought affects the amount of water that is available for turning turbines. The less the water, the less the force generated in turning the turbines, hence reduced electricity production. Once this happens, people have no choice but to turn to other sources of energy such as coal and gas to sustain their energy requirements.

According to a study in the Western US, the production of carbon dioxide over a decade and a half was 100 megatons higher than it would have been had people not turned to burn fossil fuels (Nunez 6). These findings emphasize the significant role that the use of hydropower plays in protecting the environment against the emission of greenhouse gases. Therefore, it is evident enough that hydropower offers substantial environmental benefits.

Apart from being very environment-friendly, the use of hydropower offers several other advantages. First, once the plant is set up, the source of power, which is flowing water, is free (Nunez 7). The only possible expenditure will be during maintenance procedures, which are not costly. In comparison to burning fossil fuels, which an individual has to buy when they become depleted, hydropower plants are more efficient economically. The force with which the water flows is enough to run the system effectively, and little to no human effort is required. Human energy is limited to maintenance activities such as lubrication of the turbines and removal of trapped organic matter within the system.

The energy source for hydropower plants is self-renewing, either by snow or rainfall. Therefore, in areas that receive regular precipitation, setting up hydropower plants is a meaningful long term investment because it will continue to serve the people as long as enough water is available. Drought is among the few limiting factors to this notion, although the possibility of experiencing drought is highly unlikely in many parts of the world.

Hydropower is capable of producing high amounts of electricity. Also, it is possible to make adjustments to the plant to cater to the varying power requirements of the people (Nunez 11). Adjusting the flow of water through the turbines determines the amount of electricity production. The higher the flow, the higher the electricity produced. Making these adjustments is relatively easy and does not cost much.

It is also possible to develop hydropower plants that used recycled water, which can also be called human-made water. Wastewater treatment plants collect dirty, used water from different households and industries to get rid of impurities and potential environmental hazards before disposing of the water. Therefore, it is possible to set up a hydropower plant at the outlets of such plants so that the wastewater is better utilized (Mümtaz et al. 1). By doing this, the government could provide affordable electricity to its people resulting in saving a lot of their revenue. Also, the method is environment-friendly, thus providing a safe environment for people to occupy.

In recent years, there is an increased appreciation for the impact that hydropower has on different sectors in the world today. The fact that it reduces the production of greenhouse gases associated with the use of other energy sources means that it reduces global warming, thereby limiting climate change. Hydropower is very affordable, compared to other energy sources such as coal. Therefore it plays a role in reducing poverty by providing a cheaper alternative source of energy. This affordability makes it preferable over other sources. Also, since many people can afford hydroelectric power, technology plays a role in promoting prosperity in such areas. Electricity has become a significant component in many households, and hydropower avails this commodity at an affordable price.

Despite having some disadvantages, the uses of hydropower certainly have more advantages to offer. As a result, it is likely to remain one of the world’s leading sources of energy, with much of its significant potential still untapped (Năstase et al. 8). Researchers continue to look for ways to make hydropower projects friendlier to the environment, a move that will see its use spread to many other countries in different parts of the world.

Works Cited

Ak, Mümtaz, Elçin Kentel, and Serhat Kucukali. “A fuzzy logic tool to evaluate low-head hydropower technologies at the outlet of wastewater treatment plants.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 68 (2017): 727-737.

Carr, Meghan K., et al. “Impacts of Varying Dam Outflow Elevations on Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, and Nutrient Distributions in a Large Prairie Reservoir.” Environmental Engineering Science (2019).

Delwiche, Kyle B., et al. “Developing a global, mechanistic model of methane emissions from hydropower reservoirs.” AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 2018.

Năstase, Gabriel, et al. “Hydropower development in Romania. A review from its beginnings to the present.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 80 (2017): 297-312.

Nunez, Christina. “Hydropower Explained.” Nationalgeographic.Com, 2020, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/hydropower/.