Hydropower is electricity produced from machines that are run by moving water. This technology has been around since before the Industrial Revolution, which raises the question, if it’s been around for so long, then why haven’t we capitalized on this? Originally, hydropower was used to move large pieces of machinery by placing a wheel in the water source (commonly a river due to the speed of the current), and as the wheel turned, it would rotate a pole or rod, which in turn would move the large piece of the machine. As simple as that machine sounds, there are a couple of problematic points that begin to arise. First and foremost, would be consistency in the water pressure and level, if the water level is too high, it could flood and destroy the machine, if the level is too low, it might not move the wheel enough to make the machine function. The same applies to the pressure, if it moves too quickly it could damage the parts, too slowly, and it may not turn.
These basic principles still apply to modern hydropower, which is now usually built into Hydroelectric Dams. But as technology advances, it also becomes more complex, and more prone to pieces breaking of becoming faulty. Now while with modern technology we can regulate the flow of water through these dams, thus eliminating the aforementioned issues with primal hydropower, new problems arise further down the line. The primary problem with modern hydroelectric power generation is cost. How much would it cost to build an entire hydroelectric dam V.S. how much could you save (both immediately and over the long term) by reducing use of another source? It is extremely expensive to build a dam, let alone a hydroelectric dam, and how do you know whether the dam you build will, in fact, generate a high enough amount of electricity to make it worthwhile? These are all simple questions, with complex answers due to the inconsistency in human behavior.
You also have to take into account the damage that damming rivers does to ecosystems. While it may be fiscally viable to build a hydroelectric dam over a high-flow river, what is the environmental cost? During and after the construction of a new dam, not only is the water flow regulated, but it is common for the materials used during construction to have some sort of impact upon the ecosystem initially. These dams are most commonly constructed from concrete, and if this concrete is accidentally leaked into the water source, it would have a detrimental effect on the plant and wildlife further downstream. When someone dams a river, it not only drys one side out while flooding the other, it destroys and creates entire ecosystems, which may not function properly in its new environment.
For example, when the US Government had the Hoover Dam created, it blocked up the Colorado River, and the delta to the Colorado River, which was naturally a specific blend between both fresh and saltwater, for 6 years after the Dam’s creation, while Lame Mead filled with water, the delta became exponentially more saline due to the lack of fresh water running down from the river. This change in salinity in the Colorado River delta decimated the ecosystem there. Also, the Colorado River had season floods pre-construction, but because the Hoover Dam can regulate the flow and release of water to the River, it no longer floods. This has led to the devastation of that ecosystem, and has even resulted in the addition of 4 species, native to the river and its ecosystem, to the endangered species list.
These basic principles still apply to modern hydropower, which is now usually built into Hydroelectric Dams. But as technology advances, it also becomes more complex, and more prone to pieces breaking of becoming faulty. Now while with modern technology we can regulate the flow of water through these dams, thus eliminating the aforementioned issues with primal hydropower, new problems arise further down the line. The primary problem with modern hydroelectric power generation is cost. How much would it cost to build an entire hydroelectric dam V.S. how much could you save (both immediately and over the long term) by reducing use of another source? It is extremely expensive to build a dam, let alone a hydroelectric dam, and how do you know whether the dam you build will, in fact, generate a high enough amount of electricity to make it worthwhile? These are all simple questions, with complex answers due to the inconsistency in human behavior.
You also have to take into account the damage that damming rivers does to ecosystems. While it may be fiscally viable to build a hydroelectric dam over a high-flow river, what is the environmental cost? During and after the construction of a new dam, not only is the water flow regulated, but it is common for the materials used during construction to have some sort of impact upon the ecosystem initially. These dams are most commonly constructed from concrete, and if this concrete is accidentally leaked into the water source, it would have a detrimental effect on the plant and wildlife further downstream. When someone dams a river, it not only drys one side out while flooding the other, it destroys and creates entire ecosystems, which may not function properly in its new environment.
For example, when the US Government had the Hoover Dam created, it blocked up the Colorado River, and the delta to the Colorado River, which was naturally a specific blend between both fresh and saltwater, for 6 years after the Dam’s creation, while Lame Mead filled with water, the delta became exponentially more saline due to the lack of fresh water running down from the river. This change in salinity in the Colorado River delta decimated the ecosystem there. Also, the Colorado River had season floods pre-construction, but because the Hoover Dam can regulate the flow and release of water to the River, it no longer floods. This has led to the devastation of that ecosystem, and has even resulted in the addition of 4 species, native to the river and its ecosystem, to the endangered species list.