Hydropower Advantages and Disadvantages of

Hydropower
Hydropower is the energy generated by the water power,
using gravity and buoyancy waterfall. It is the most used form of
renewable energy. Once built, a hydropower plant, it produces
energy without emitting greenhouse gases compared to fossil
fuels. In 2006, total production of hydropower, TW 2998 was
approximately 20% of global consumption. This represented 88%
of energy from renewable sources.

Advantages of Hydropower

The advantages of hydropower is described in brief below.

1. The main advantage of hydropower is that the production

costs are eliminated;

2. Hydropower plants have a higher economic lifetime;

3. The maintenance cost of such sources of green energy is

very small, since the equipment is automated and does not
require a large staff during power generation;

4. Given that hydroelectric power plants do not burn

fossil fuels, they do not directly emit greenhouse gases.
Although carbon dioxide is produced in the manufacture of
equipment, these emissions are not comparable to those
obtained from the energy of non-renewable fuels;

5. Basins constructed for the production of hydropower, can be

used for other activities such as water sports, aquaculture
and irrigation agriculture;
 6. Hydroelectric dams may even become tourist attractions,
and prevent floods by storing excess water;

7. Practical her availability is throughout the entire year;

8. Energy obtained can be considered clean and

regenerative.

Disadvantages of Hydropower
In addition to producing electricity, river engineering may have other consequences
on local development through construction equipment, infrastructure development,
the development of tourism, creating jobs, irrigation, navigation, growing local
taxes and other. The disadvantages of hydropower is listed below.

1. Huge projects also involve great risks- risk of rupture

(bursting) of the dam the dam help store a huge potential
energy;

2. Sabotage or terrorism threats to the safety area is

another drawback of water power;

3. Construction of hydropower can lead to imbalances in

ecosystems and landscape change, and over time can be
reduced river flow;

4. Water accumulation can lead to thermal and chemical

changes, in the depth of the reservoirs. Deposits, sediment,
reached bottom may encourage the developmental
accumulation of aquatic flora (plankton, algae) which under
certain conditions can cause atrophy accumulation reducing
the amount of oxygen and death of wildlife. Also great
accumulations can cause local climate changes primarily due
to water evaporation (fog);
 5. Erosion sediment is retained behind the dam so that the
banks downstream of dams judgments are subject to erosion;

6. Consequences of underground galleries drainage culvert is

true massifs traverse if they are not full. If their fill they
become sources of pressure on the geological structures that
cross.

Finally, hydropower and other energy sources should be valued properly for our
own future.