Advantages of Hydroelectric Energy

1. Renewable

Hydropower is completely renewable, which means it will never run out unless
the water stops flowing. As a result,  hydro plants are built to last. In some cases,
equipment that was built to last 25 years is still operational after double the
amount of time has passed.
2. Emission Free

The creation of hydroelectricity does not release emissions into the atmosphere.
This is, of course, the biggest appeal of any renewable energy source.

3. Reliable

Hydropower is, by far, the most reliable renewable energy available in the world.
Unlike when the sun goes down or when the wind dies down, water usually has a
constant and steady flow 24/7.

4. Adjustable

Since hydropower is so reliable, hydro plants can actually adjust the flow of water.
This allows the plant to produce more energy when it is required or reduce the
energy output when it is not needed. This is something that no other renewable
energy source can do.
5. Create Lakes

Lakes can be used for recreational purposes and can even help draw in tourists.
Look no further than Lake Mead. It was created as a result of the Hoover dam
and brought in over 7.5 million visitors in 2018. This can give nearby towns a
huge boost economically.
6. Faster Developed Land

Since hydro dams can only be built in specific locations, they can help develop
the land for nearby towns and cities. This is because it takes a lot of equipment to
build a dam. To transport it, highways and roads must be built, which helps open
new paths for rural towns.
Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Energy

1. Impact on Fish

To create a hydro plant, a running water source must be dammed. This prevents
fish from reaching their breeding ground, which in turn affects any animal that
relies on those fish for food.

As the water stops flowing, riverside habitats begin to disappear. This can even
remove animals from accessing water.

2. Limited Plant Locations

While hydropower is renewable, there are limited places in the world that are
suitable for plant construction. On top of this, some of these places are not close
to major cities that could fully benefit from the energy.

3. Higher initial Costs

While no power plant is easy to build, hydro plants do require you to build a dam
to stop running water. As a result, they cost more than similarly sized fossil fuel
plants.

Although, they will not need to worry about purchasing fuel later on. So it does
even out over the long-term.

4. Carbon and Methane Emissions

While the actual electricity generation in the plant does not produce emissions,
there are emissions from the reservoirs they create. Plants that are at the bottom
of a reservoir begin to decompose. And when plants die, they release large
quantities of carbon and methane.
5. Susceptible to Droughts

While Hydropower is the most reliable renewable energy available, it is

dependent on the amount of water in any given location. Thus, the performance
of a hydro plant could be significantly affected by a drought. And as climate
change continues to heat up or planet, this could become more common.
6. Flood Risk

When dams are built at higher elevations, they pose a serious risk to any town
nearby that is below it. While these dams are built very strong, there are still risks.
The biggest dam failure in history is the Banqiao Dam failure. Due to excess
rainfall from a typhoon, the dam collapsed. This resulted in the deaths of 171,000
people.
Biomass energy:

1. Energy derived from organic matter is referred to as biomass energy.

2. It can be found in living or recently living creatures, biological matter, and garbage.
3. Bioenergy is the term for the energy derived from biomass.

Disadvantages of biomass energy:

1. As burning emits a lot of carbon dioxide, it has a negative impact on humans, but waste energy
biomass synthesis emits less carbon dioxide and is therefore more environmentally friendly.
2. Biomass production may provide major health concerns or hazards to humans due to a lack of
understanding and necessary procedures, particularly in low-income areas.
3. Deforestation, land degradation, and assault can all be serious issues linked with biomass production,
depending on the resources employed.

Advantages of biomass energy:

1. As a renewable energy source, biomass is always and abundantly available.

2. It has a carbon footprint of 0
3. It helps to minimise our reliance on fossil fuel.
4. Its more affordable than fossil fuels.
5. There will be less waste in landfills.

What are the Advantages of Using Geothermal?

1. Environmentally Friendly

Geothermal energy is more environmentally friendly than conventional fuel sources

such as coal and other fossil fuels. In addition, the carbon footprint of a geothermal
power plant is low. While there is some pollution associated with geothermal
energy, this is relatively minimal when compared to fossil fuels.
2. Renewable

Geothermal energy is a source of renewable energy that will last until the Earth is
destroyed by the sun in around 5 billion years. The hot reservoirs within the Earth
are naturally replenished, making it both renewable and sustainable.

3. Huge Potential

Worldwide energy consumption is currently around 15 terawatts, which is far from

the total potential energy available from geothermal sources. While we can’t
currently use most reservoirs there is a hope that the number of exploitable
geothermal resources will increase with ongoing research and development in the
industry. It is currently estimated that geothermal power plants could provide
between 0.0035 and 2 terawatts of power.

4. Sustainable / Stable

Geothermal provides a reliable source of energy as compared to other renewable

resources such as wind and solar power. This is because the resource is always
available to be tapped into, unlike with wind or solar energy.

5. Heating and Cooling

Effective use of geothermal for electricity generation requires water temperatures

of over 150°C to drive turbines. Alternatively, the temperature difference between
the surface and a ground source can be used. Due to the ground being more
resistant to seasonal heat changes than the air, it can act as a heat sink/ source
with a geothermal heat pump just two metres below the surface.

6. Reliable

Energy generated from this resource is easy to calculate since it does not fluctuate
in the same way as other energy sources, such as solar and wind. This means we
can predict the power output from a geothermal plant with a high degree of
accuracy.
7. No Fuel Required

Since geothermal energy is a naturally occurring resource there is no fuel required,

such as with fossil fuels that are a finite resource which needs mining or otherwise
extracting from the earth.

8. Rapid Evolution

There is a great deal of exploration into geothermal energy at the moment,

meaning that new technologies are being created to improve the energy process.
There are an increasing number of projects to improve and grow this area of
industry. With this rapid evolution many of the current cons of geothermal energy
will be mitigated against.

What are the Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy?

1. Location Restricted

The largest single disadvantage of geothermal energy is that it is location specific.

Geothermal plants need to be built in places where the energy is accessible, which
means that some areas are not able to exploit this resource. Of course, this is not a
problem if you live in a place where geothermal energy is readily accessible, such as
Iceland.

2. Environmental Side Effects

Although geothermal energy does not typically release greenhouse gases, there are
many of these gases stored under the Earth’s surface which are released into the
atmosphere during digging. While these gases are also released into the
atmosphere naturally, the rate increases near geothermal plants. However, these
gas emissions are still far lower than those associated with fossil fuels.

3. Earthquakes

Geothermal energy also runs the risk of triggering earthquakes. This is due to
alterations in the Earth’s structure as a result of digging. This problem is more
prevalent with enhanced geothermal power plants, which force water into the
Earth’s crust to open up fissures to greater exploitation of the resource. However,
since most geothermal plants are away from population centres, the implications of
these earthquakes are relatively minor.
4. High Costs

Geothermal energy is an expensive resource to tap into, with price tags ranging
from around $2-$7 million for a plant with a 1 megawatt capacity. However, where
the upfront costs are high, the outlay can be recouped as part of a long-term
investment.

5. Sustainability

In order to maintain the sustainability of geothermal energy fluid needs to be

pumped back into the underground reservoirs faster than it is depleted. This
means that geothermal energy needs to be properly managed to maintain its
sustainability.

It is important for industry to assess the geothermal energy pros and cons in order
to take account of the advantages while mitigating against any potential problems.

Some advantages of tidal energy are:

 Environment-friendly
 A highly predictable energy source
 High energy density
 Operational and maintenance costs are low
 An inexhaustible source of energy
Some of the disadvantages of tidal energy are:

 High tidal power plant construction costs

 Negative influence on marine life forms
 Location limits
 The variable intensity of sea waves

Advantages of Wave Energy

1. Renewable
The best thing about wave energy is that it will never run out.
There will always be waves crashing upon the shores of nations
near the populated coastal regions. The waves flow back from
the shore, but they always return. Unlike fossil fuels, which are
running out, in some places in the world, just as quickly as
people can discover them.

Abstract
Renewable energy sources (RES) are gaining an increasing importance in the
distribution system and they are predicted to play a more important role in the near
future. Indeed, each year new generation plants are connected to the distribution
networks and it appears clear that they can be no longer considered as negative loads to
be connected and forgotten. The connection to power distribution networks of the
growing number and capacity of RES installations implies overcoming several technical
challenges for distribution network operators, that perceive RES systems has
troublemakers for the electricity system.
This chapter offers a detailed view of the impacts of RES and energy storage
technologies considering their planning, management, and operation on future
distribution networks.

Public acceptance of renewable energy sources

Abstract
Renewable Energy Sources (RES), used to produce energy from
natural processes, are nowadays used to meet the ever-increasing
energy requirements worldwide, replacing conventional energy
sources. Conventional energy sources are finite and under depletion.
On contrary, renewable energy sources are constantly appearing in
the natural environment. The main forms of RES are solar energy,
wind energy, hydroelectric energy, geothermal energy and biomass.
Many countries around the world have adopted the application of RES
in order to become energy independent. However, the acceptance or
the rejection of RES by citizens has an important role, as no new
technology related to them can be effectively implemented without the
social acceptance. The aim of this study is the investigation of the
acceptance or the rejection of RES in Athens, the capital of Greece.
The social acceptance of RES was examined using a structured
questionnaire addressed to 536 inhabitants of Athens. Overall, the
results reveal that most of the participants are in favour of the
development of RES and declare themselves supporters to these
investments. Nevertheless, the majority of the respondents do not
want the projects to be located near their residences and they are not
particularly willing to contribute financially to their development. The
results of this study can be a useful tool for policy makers in order to
design an effective energy policy toward the further penetration of
RES in the energy mix.

Abstract

Energy is the primary and most universal measure of all kinds of

work by human

beings & and the nature and the per capita energy
consumption is considered as an important

parameter to judge the standard of living, social and economic

conditions, cultural values and

degree of industrialization of a given area. The problem of

energy shortages is aggravated by

the fact that the available fossil fuels are limited and exhaustible
and there is a strong need to

initiate the search for non-conventional/renewable energy

sources, which are not only the

abundantly available but are also eco-friendly. In India, more

than 80% population live in

rural areas and meet their energy needs from traditional fuels.
Large numbers of villages in

the country are un-electrified due to inaccessibility of the grid

supply. The basic impact of
this scenario can be seen in rural areas facing the shortage of
fossil fuel as well electricity due

to their remoteness.