Pros of Hydroelectric Power

1. Renewable energy source

Hydroelectric energy is renewable. It is
considered as renewable because it
uses the earth’s water to produce
electricity. The sun shines and the water
evaporates from the earth’s surface,
forms clouds and then falls back on to
the earth in the form of rain and
snow. Rivers and lakes that are typically
leveraged to generate hydroelectric
power will never disappear
This implies that we can’t use it up and
we don’t have to worry about it becoming
more expensive because of scarcity. On
the other hand, there are just a few
suitable repositories where
hydroelectric power plants could be
built and fewer places where such
undertakings are beneficial.
2. Clean energy source
As you may expect, hydroelectric power
is one of the “green” and
“clean” alternative energy sources that
are out there. Creating power with
hydroelectric energy is not
contaminating itself. The energy
produced by hydroelectric plants do not
produce any toxic or greenhouse
gases that pollutes the atmosphere. The
main contamination happens when the
power plants are being built.
The hydroelectric plants emit fewer
greenhouse gasses than fossil based
power sources, which helps mitigate
climate change, acid rains, and smog.
Hydroelectric power also improves the
air quality we breathe because they
don’t emit air pollutants. On top of that,
the pants don’t produce toxic
byproducts.
3. Cost competitive energy source
Hydroelectric power is a cost-
competitive source of energy even
though the upfront building costs can be
high. River water is an infinite resource,
which is not affected, whatsoever, by
market volatility. Fossil fuel based
energy sources like coal, oil and natural
gas are deeply affected by market
volatility, which drives up or
considerably lower their prices.
Hydroelectric power plants have an
average lifetime of 50 – 100 years,
meaning they are strategic investments
that can support many future
generations. They can also be easily
upgraded to fall in line with the modern
day’s technological requirements and
have considerably lower operating and
maintenance costs.
4. Contributes to development of remote
communities
Hydroelectric power plants supply
electricity to remote communities,
attract construction of highways,
industry, and commerce. All these
activities serve to uplift the economy of
these remote areas, increase access to
education and healthcare and enhance
the overall life quality of residents. The
hydroelectricity technology has been
quantified for over a century. People
have already come to grips with its
effects through steps for prevention and
compensation of damages. It’s almost
always available where development is
needed.
5. Recreational opportunities
The lake that form behind the dam can
be used for recreational opportunities,
offering activities such as fishing,
boating and swimming. The lake’s water
can also be used for irrigation purposes.
Apart from this, large dams become hot
spot for tourist attractions.
Hydroelectric power plants have the
capacity to store vast quantities of water
for irrigation when rainfall disappears
and for consumption when there is
shortage. The ability to store water is
advantageous since it shields water
tables from exhaustion and minimizes
our susceptibility to droughts and
floods.
Cons of Hydroelectric Power
1. Environmental damage
Interruptions of natural water flow can
have a great impact the river ecosystem
and the environment. Some fish species
and other creatures normally migrate
when there is food shortage or when the
breeding season begins. Building of
dams could cut off their paths leading to
lack of reproduction or fish deaths.
The natural results of hydropower are
identified with intercessions in nature
because of damming of water, altered
water flow, and the development of
streets and power lines. Hydroelectric
power plants may influence fish and the
way that they move and migrate, but this
is a complicated process to research
and it is hard to make a determination
based on that one factor. More client
investments identified with abuse of fish
species, which means that this is a field
that a number of people have strong
feelings about.
2. High upfront capital costs
Power plants can be incredibly
expensive to build, no matter what type
you may be building. Hydroelectric
power plants are not a special case to
this. Hydroelectric power plants are very
costly to construct due to logistical
challenges like topography, laying
foundations under water and the
materials used to build it. The only
upside is that after completion, it will
require less maintenance. Still, the
hydroelectric plant will have to operate
for a long time to recoup the money
injected in the construction.
3. Might cause conflicts
Countries that harbor rich sources of
hydroelectric power typically build
dams across the river to harness the
water. While this act is laudable, it can
result in interruption of natural water
flow from one specific direction to
another. When a particular location
doesn’t require a lot of water, it is
channeled to another location to cater
for those wanting to build dams in those
locations. However, if scarcity of
water hits that particular area, it can
trigger off conflict, and this means water
channeled to the dams have to be halted.
4. May lead to droughts
One of the main downsides to setting up
hydroelectric power plants is the risk of
local droughts. The overall energy and
power costs are discovered depending
upon water accessibility. Accessibility
of water can be significantly impacted
by dry spells leading to individuals not
accessing the electricity they need.
5. Risk of floods in lower elevations
Communities living downstream are
vulnerable to flooding should strong
water currents be released from the
dam. In the long run, the livelihood of
people living in those areas might be
destroyed.
6. Carbon dioxide and methane emission
The hydroelectric power reservoir emits
vast quantities of carbon dioxide and
methane. These areas near the dam are
full of water, and the plants underneath
the water begin to rot and decompose.
This kind of decomposition without
oxygen involvement gives off vast
amounts of carbon dioxide and methane,
which leads to increase in pollution
levels.
People living along low lying areas are
often in the danger of floods as they
areas might get swept away when water
is released in full force from the dam.
Apart from this, these people are forcibly
moved out so that construction of these
dams can continue.