Enriquez, Martin

Kapunan, Karlo
Rodriguez, Sid SCIENVP S14

Assignment/ Course Output

I. Introduction

Hydroelectric power is a very efficient source of electricity and it is one of the most important
and most widely-used renewable source of energy. According to the International Energy Agency,
hydroelectric power is so commonly used that it represents about 16% of the total energy
production. Even though hydroelectric power is a famous source of renewable energy, it has its
advantages and disadvantages.

Unlike traditional sources of electricity, in hydroelectric power there is no fuel burned so

there is close to no pollution being emitted. It also plays a big role in lessening greenhouse gas
emissions. This is important because of the current problem in todays world of global warming
and more people are trying to use clean and safe renewable energy sources. Next, one of the main
essentials in collecting hydropower through a dam would be flowing water which is provided by
nature. Maintaining and operation costs are relatively low which is advantageous for a poor
country like the Philippines. Furthermore, hydroelectric power has proven to be reliable and
efficient over time and the fuel used to run the dam, the water, will never run out (precipitation)

Even though hydroelectric power is eco-friendly and efficient, it also has its several
disadvantages. It has high investment costs due to all the infrastructure that has to be built (dam).
Also, since the dam is placed on a body of water, marine habitat and wildlife are negatively
affected. Most of the wildlife are forced to migrate to different bodies of water and the habitats get
destroyed. Another negative effect of the construction of the dams would be that some settlements
living near the body of water are forced to move due to usually depending on the body of water
for food and livelihood. In some cases, the dam changes the quality of the reservoir and stream
water.
 II. Research

THREE GORGES SAN ROQUE DAM KRASNOYARSK

DAM (CHINA) (PHILIPPINES) DAM (RUSSIA)

EFFICIENCY 22, 500 MW 345 MW 6, 000 MW

OPERATIONAL & $27.6 BILLION $1.9 BILLION $4.5 BILLION

MAINTENANCE
COST

SPACE NEEDED Height: 181m Height: 200m Height: 124m

Length: 2, 335m Length: 1, 130m Length: 1, 065m
Width (crest): 40m
Width (base): 115m

ENVIRONMENTAL Increase of landslide erosion, siltation, River pollution

IMPACT activity disruption of fisheries,
other biodiversity
losses, reduced water
quality and increased
water-borne disease.

Table comparison of three dams: Three Gorges Dam in China, San Roque Dam in the Philippines
and Krasnoyarsk dam in Russia

The Three Gorges Dam would be the better choice to supply energy to a certain community
since its characteristics are great. Efficiency would be the winning take out the three because it can
supply 22, 500 MW. The Krasnoyarsk Dam and the San Roque Dam are also good but both of
these has its flaws. The Krasnoyarsk Dam produces 6, 000 MW but it causes river pollution which
makes the whole hydroelectric power useless since we need clean water to provide the energy. The
San Roque Dam, on the other hand is too little and causes too much environmental deficiencies.
Although it may cost a big chunk of money, we believe that the Three Gorges Dam would
beneficial in the long run because it is a safer way to get energy.
We chose these three examples because of the states each hydroelectric plant is in and the
conditions surrounding it. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric plant in the world,
which is why it is a good example to be compared with much smaller dams such as the San Roque
dam located in the Philippines. We chose the San Roque dam because we wanted to elaborate the
capacities of local dams in the Philippines and how it compares to global standards in terms of
efficiency, land use and impact on the environment along with other aspects indicated above. In
the case of the Krasnoyarsk dam in Russia, we chose it because it was established in 1973 and has
since then been running, showing a concrete example of a hydroelectric plant built nearly four
decades ago and its performance in the present world vs newer dams such as the Three Gorges
Dam in China. All these examples reflect different aspects of hydroelectric plants worldwide as
we embark on comparing one with each other.

Image of Krasnoyarsk dam in Russia

Image of San Roque Dam, Philippines

Image of Three Gorges Dam, China

III. Conclusion

To conclude, hydroelectric power is very efficient and safe for the environment however the
construction of the dam is the one putting harm to the environment. From all the three dams, that
we compared and contrasted, I would choose the Three Gorges Dam of China. Despite being very
expensive to build, in my opinion the pros outweigh the cons. Its high energy production makes
up for the expensive price. The dam would work best here in the Philippines. Being an archipelago,
the Philippines is surrounded by bodies of water in which dams could be built. Also, the Philippines
being a much polluted country, the addition of cleaner renewable energy sources would be
beneficial for the country.

Sources:
1. Dam the Rivers, Damn the People: San Roque Dam, Philippines by MICHAEL A.
BENGWAYAN, Probe International. (2010, December 09).
2. "Three Gorges Project" (PDF). Chinese National Committee on Large Dams.
Retrieved January 1, 2015.
3. "Krasnoyarkkoye Reservoir". International Lake Environment Committee. Archived
from the original on July 23, 2011