- Water-powered turbines can

have a negative environmental

impact on aquatic wildlife and
Because flowing water
can endanger boats.
continues to move, this creates
- Also, creating hydropower
an inexhaustible amount of
dams causes land behind the
energy that can be stored and
dams to permanently flood.
used when the demand is
- Finally, it is expensive to set
highest.
up hydropower systems → the
average cost is between $1
million and $4 million.
- The sun produces energy
constantly, which makes solar
In places with less sunlight,
energy an inexhaustible
solar power generation has
resource and no pollution
limitations. Also, photovoltaic
- Solar energy can be adapted to
cells are fragile and can be
work on a variety of buildings
easily damaged.
and in a variety of
environments.
- Wind turbines can be utilized
Many people consider wind
on a large scale or on a small
turbines ugly and noisy. Also,
scale.
they rely on the wind, so if it is
- This process is relatively
not windy, no energy is
cheap and is considered one of
produced. Finally. like
the most affordable forms of
hydropower, wind turbines can
electricity today.
be a threat to wildlife such as
- Also, it does not harm the air
local birds.
or land it uses.
- Biomass can re-grow over a
relatively short period of time
compared to the hundreds of
Some people are concerned that
millions of years that it takes for
burning blomass contributes to
fossil fuels to form.
global warning because it
- It is also an efficient way to
produces greenhouse gases.
generate power, and it is
Also, using biomass to generate
universal.
energy on a large scale can be
- Another benefit is that it
expensive.
reduces the need to bury
garbage under the ground in a
landfill.
- The most active geothermal
The power it generates can then
resources are usually found in
be used to produce electricity
areas near volcanoes or where
and heat buildings.
geothermal activity naturally
- Geothermal energy uses
occurs.
relatively simple technology.
- The largest area of this kind is
- This process causes no
known as the "Ring of Fire." It
pollution and is inexhaustible.
rims the Pacific Ocean and is
bounded by eastern Asia and the
westem edge of the Americas.
Outside of regions like these,
geothermal energy is usually
unavailable.
- The initial costs of installing a
geothermal energy system are
very high, but once it is built,
the running costs are low.