Hydroelectric energy is one of the most energy investments found in many states in the world. Almost twenty percent of the world's electricity consumption is generated by hydroelectric energy. It is the most renewable source of energy in the world. It is the most convenient source of energy and that's the reason why many states like investing in it. The following are some of the advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric energy investments.
Hydroelectric energy power is referred to as green energy. It is fueled by water and it is the cleanest means of electric power generation. The method doesn't pollute air unlike other means such as diesel engines, geothermal, burning coal and many other more. Hydroelectric source of power is one of the renewable sources of power. Presence of water is controlled by nature, the hydrological cycle, and the replenishment of water means the power will continue to be produced more and more. Since water is readily available and a great amount of kinetic power can be tapped conveniently, it is possible to produce a lot of power. It only requires many penstocks to drive many turbines for more power generation. That can enable supply of power in many areas for powering and opening many business opportunities in many areas. Typically, the engineers can also control the production of the energy the way they want since t can be controlled by the flow of water through the penstocks. It is also notable that, the reservoirs can create the recreations activities in the areas when allowed such as fishing, boating, and swimming to the society around. The creation of the reservoirs can also bring a change to the climate in the local area due to the presence of a large body of water. That can enable an increase of the rainfall that may also replenish water in the reservoir and also benefit the local people in conducting other various economic activities.
Besides the advantages, investing in hydroelectric power has some drawbacks. First, the creation of dams hampers the flow of water and that affects the lifecycle of the aquatic life. Hydropower can also affect the quality of water and flow. That can be a great disadvantage to the residents that live downstream. It can affect water and cause low dissolved oxygen and that can be harmful to the residents using the water downstream. The remedy can be aeration by some techniques to oxygenate water for safe use. Again, hydroelectric power can be affected by drought and the power production can cease making the state suffer lack of energy to drive the economic activities. Click here for more insight.