Important Facts about Hydroelectric Energy
Electricity is a commodity that most people cannot go without. It has numerous benefits such as powering machinery, electronic devices, and lighting. It is a necessity for both industries as well as domestic users. With global warming on the rise, many governments are looking at ways of producing this essential commodity without increasing their carbon footprint. The hydroelectric energy is a clean source of energy which comes with numerous benefits as well as a shortcoming.
Hydroelectric energy is a renewable source of energy produced from water. Most hydroelectric plants use dams to collect water which is used to facilitate the production of electrical energy. There are three types of hydroelectric plants commonly used to produce this energy. This is the diversion, impounded and pumped power plants. The impounded facility utilizes water that has been stored in a reservoir to run water into turbines to produce electricity. In the case of a diversion plant, the water catchment is created around a river flow. The pumped power plants use water pump system and not dams. Get to know also about the disadvantages of hydroelectric energy.
Hydroelectric energy is an affordable source of energy because it is produced using water. This water is usually collected in reservoirs and recycled to produce power. In addition, it is a clean source of energy because the process of producing this energy does not emit harmful gases like carbon into the atmosphere. It is preferable to the fossils fuels which produce large amounts of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, unlike fossil fuels which pose so many dangers to the environment if they leak, the hydropower water is not polluted. Any leakages or precipitation of this water is recycled back into the atmosphere. Notably, this form of energy is more reliable because water is readily available.
Nonetheless, there are some downsides to this form of energy. During periods of drought, the water levels in the reservoirs go low and it becomes a challenged to produce energy. When this happens the users who depend on this power plants for electricity will have to endure rationing of electricity or perpetual blackouts. The cost of building these hydroelectric facilities is also very high. The dams and water reservoir hold large volumes of water. They also have sophisticated systems of releasing water to the turbines below and recycling them back up to the reservoirs. This costs huge sums of money to set up. The construction of this facility also interferes with the environment. for instance, it can interfere with the natural habitat of acqua life. For more info, visit this page.
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