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  • 19 B Hydropower Advantagesand Disadvantages

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    Basid Mohamed
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    Hydropower offers advantages over other energy sources but faces unique environmental challenges. Hydropower plants can impact water quality and flow. New hydropower facilities impact the local environment.

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    19bHydropowerAdvantagesandDisadvantages

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    Hydropower offers advantages over other energy sources but faces unique environmental challenges. Hydropower plants can impact water quality and flow. New hydropower facilities impact the local environment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    54 views2 pages

    19 B Hydropower Advantagesand Disadvantages

    Uploaded by

    Basid Mohamed
    Hydropower offers advantages over other energy sources but faces unique environmental challenges. Hydropower plants can impact water quality and flow. New hydropower facilities impact the local environment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2

    WindandHydropowerTechnologiesProgram:AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofHydropower

    Page 1 of2

    U.S.DepartmentofEnergyEnergyEfficiencyandRenewableEnergy

    WindandHydropowerTechnologiesProgram

    AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofHydropower
    Hydropoweroffersadvantagesoverother energysourcesbutfacesunique environmentalchallenges.

    Advantages
    Hydropowerisafueledbywater,soit'sa cleanfuelsource.Hydropowerdoesn't pollutetheairlikepowerplantsthatburn fossilfuels,suchascoalornaturalgas. Hydropowerisadomesticsourceof energy,producedintheUnitedStates. Hydropowerreliesonthewatercycle, whichisdrivenbythesun,thusit'sa renewablepowersource. Hydropowerisgenerallyavailableas neededengineerscancontroltheflowof waterthroughtheturbinestoproduce electricityondemand.

    ThisfishladderontheIceHarborDamon thelowerSnakeRiverprovidessafe passageformigratingfish.

    Hydropowerplantsprovidebenefitsinadditiontocleanelectricity.Impoundment hydropowercreatesreservoirsthatofferavarietyofrecreationalopportunities, notablyfishing,swimming,andboating.Mosthydropowerinstallationsarerequired toprovidesomepublicaccesstothereservoirtoallowthepublictotakeadvantage oftheseopportunities.Otherbenefitsmayincludewatersupplyandfloodcontrol.

    Disadvantages
    Fishpopulationscanbeimpactediffishcannotmigrateupstreampastimpoundment damstospawninggroundsoriftheycannotmigratedownstreamtotheocean. Upstreamfishpassagecanbeaidedusingfishladdersorelevators,orbytrapping andhaulingthefishupstreambytruck.Downstreamfishpassageisaidedby divertingfishfromturbineintakesusingscreensorracksorevenunderwaterlights andsounds,andbymaintainingaminimumspillflowpasttheturbine. Hydropowercanimpactwaterqualityandflow.Hydropowerplantscancauselow dissolvedoxygenlevelsinthewater,aproblemthatisharmfultoriparian (riverbank)habitatsandisaddressedusingvariousaerationtechniques,which oxygenatethewater.Maintainingminimumflowsofwaterdownstreamofa hydropowerinstallationisalsocriticalforthesurvivalofriparianhabitats. Hydropowerplantscanbeimpactedbydrought.Whenwaterisnotavailable,the hydropowerplantscan'tproduceelectricity. Newhydropowerfacilitiesimpactthelocalenvironmentandmaycompetewithother usesfortheland.Thosealternativeusesmaybemorehighlyvaluedthanelectricity generation.Humans,flora,andfaunamaylosetheirnaturalhabitat.Localcultures

    http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/printable_versions/hydro_ad.html

    8/14/2006

    WindandHydropowerTechnologiesProgram:AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofHydropower

    Page 2 of2

    andhistoricalsitesmaybeimpingedupon.Someolderhydropowerfacilitiesmay havehistoricvalue,sorenovationsofthesefacilitiesmustalsobesensitivetosuch preservationconcernsandtoimpactsonplantandanimallife.

    WindandHydropowerTechnologiesProgramHome|EEREHome|U.S.DepartmentofEnergy Webmaster|WebSitePolicies|Security&Privacy|FirstGov.gov ContentLastUpdated:09/08/2005

    http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/printable_versions/hydro_ad.html

    8/14/2006

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