Hydropower:

Probably the best and most efficient renewable energy source is hydropower. It
checks all the category boxes of renewable energy quite successfully. Hydropower is
electricity generated using the energy of moving water. Rain or melted snow,
usually originating in hills and mountains, create streams and rivers that eventually
run to the ocean. The energy of that moving water can be substantial. As water is
constantly available, it can be put to use over and over again. Basically, the
potential energy of water is put into use here.

This energy has been exploited for centuries. Farmers since the ancient Greeks have
used water wheels to grind wheat into flour. Placed in a river, a water wheel picks
up flowing water in buckets located around the wheel. The kinetic energy of the
flowing river turns the wheel and is converted into mechanical energy that runs the
mill. This mini and basic version of hydropower production is so easy and
comparatively cheap that poor countries like Bangladesh can easily make use of it,
especially the farmers can be benefitted a lot from this. In the late 19th century,
hydropower became a source for generating electricity. The first hydroelectric power
plant was built at Niagara Falls in 1879. In 1881, street lamps in the city of Niagara
Falls were powered by hydropower.
Hydroelectric power provides almost one-fifth of the world's electricity. China,
Canada, Brazil, the United States, and Russia were the five largest producers of
hydropower in 2004. One of the world's largest hydro plants is at Three Gorges on
China's Yangtze River.

Due to the easy availability of water bodies in some form or the other in almost
every country and its huge efficiency, the use of hydropower is ever on the
increase. Following is a graph showing the picture of increasing popularity of
hydropower over 10 years:

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF A HYDROPOWER PLANT:

In a typical hydroelectric project, Hydropower plants capture the energy of water

falling from a great height to generate electricity. Due to staying at a height much
greater than ground level, a lot of potential energy is stored in it. While falling, it
converts to kinetic energy. Gravity pushes flowing water through a penstock to a
propeller-like piece of machinery called a turbine which converts the kinetic energy
of falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical
energy from the turbine into electrical energy, which is sent to users via large wires
or cables on a transmission line.

ADVANTAGES:
1. Once a dam is constructed, electricity can be produced at a constant rate.
2. If electricity is not needed, the sluice gates can be shut, stopping electricity
generation. The water can be saved for use another time when electricity demand is
high.
3. Dams are designed to last many decades and so can contribute to the generation
of electricity for many years / decades.
4. The lake that forms behind the dam can be used for water sports and leisure.

5. The lake's water can be used for irrigation purposes.

6. The buildup of water in the lake means that energy can be stored until needed,
when the water is released to produce electricity.
7. When in use, electricity produced by dam systems does not produce greenhouse
gases. They do not pollute the atmosphere.

DISADVANATGES:
1. Dams are extremely expensive to build and must be built to a very high
standard.
2. The high cost of dam construction means that they must operate for many
decades to become profitable.
3. The flooding of large areas of land means that the natural environment is
destroyed.
4. People living in villages and towns that are in the valley to be flooded, must move
out. This means that they lose their farms and businesses. In some countries,
people are forcibly removed so that hydro-power schemes can go ahead.
5. The building of large dams can cause serious geological damage. For example,
the building of the Hoover Dam in the USA triggered a number of earth quakes and
has depressed the earths surface at its location.
6. Breaching in dam can and has led to deaths and flooding.
7. Dams built blocking the progress of a river in one country usually means that the
water supply from the same river in the following country is out of their control. This
can lead to serious problems between neighboring countries. For example: Farakka
dam of India has caused Bangladesh serious trouble.

Sustainability:
Hydropower schemes can deliver multiple use benefits over and above electricity
generation. They provide a variety of value added uses and benefits, particularly
those that involve reservoir storage. These multiple use benefits differentiate hydro
generation from other forms of power generation. For example, with hydropower,
affected communities can benefit from the availability of drinking water supply and
sanitation, water for business and industry, water for sustainable food production
(both in-reservoir and via irrigation), flood mitigation, water-based transport, and
recreation and tourist opportunities. Hydropower schemes also have a capacity to
provide additional economic benefits as a result of the synergy between hydropower

and other intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power.
Further added benefits are ancillary services such as spinning reserve, voltage
support and black start capability.

Better power generation source:

Due to easy availability and efficiency, hydropower generates much more power
than any other renewables, as is clear from the graph below:

As we can see, the developed countries are bending towards hydroelectric project
as an alternate source of energy and minimizing pressure on fossil fuels. So, in order
to keep up with modern age, we should also spend much time and effort behind
developing our hydro-electric project.