Hydro Generated Electricity - Is It The Answer?

Hydro energy, or in other words, energy derived from water, isn’t a new phenomenon, but it seems to be getting a lot more attention these days due to our increasing energy crisis that’s hitting pretty hard here at home, and around the world. Talk of alternative energy sources are mainstream news, and chances are, you’ll here it mentioned at least a few times a week, if not more. Many people agree that it’s time to stop messing around, and take a serious look at how we can advance these alternative forms of energy in order to solve a myriad of economic and environmental problems.

How does it work?

Simply put, hydro energy is harnessed when a hydro plant channels and moves water through a series of pipes which eventually pushes a special set of blades and turns it in a turbine that produces electricity. There are several different ways that companies utilize and store the water (some are river based, others use massive storage tanks of water), but it all pretty much ends up the same way. So with the amount of water on this Earth of ours, you would think that there would be more of this going on, and perhaps one day there will be, but it all boils down to politics and money.

Hydro generated electricity makes up roughly 20% of the world’s supply, which is no small number by any means. I think that within the next decade, as the oil crisis spirals out of control that we’ll see that number go higher, along with other forms of alternative energy like solar and wind.

While solar based energy and wind energy (which is currently being explored by the Pickens Plan) are also on the table for alternative strategies, hydro generated electricity packs some very attractive advantages:

Pro’s

1. It is way more consistent than wind and solar power, because water can be stored and there are obviously huge amounts of it on Earth.

2. It doesn’t emit ANY waste or harmful gas.

3. Hydro stations are very manageable economically speaking.

On the flip side, there are some drawbacks to hydro electricity, which critics are very quick to point out. Some of those disadvantages include:

Con’s

1. Building a hydro plant is very expensive

2. Dams can displace local wildlife, and upset the natural fish habitat (which causes all kinds of other problems in nature, since fish are the primary food of many animals).

3. Plant life can also be upset, which again, can have devastating effects on the local habitat around the plant/dam.

All in all, it’s still a fantastic form of energy, and God knows there is plenty of water to go around. As with any idea, there will always be set backs and side effects, but you have to think of it like a prescription medicine – do the benefits outweigh the possible risks? In this case, most people would probably agree that yes, the benefits in our current situation far outweigh possible negative side effects. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens as we move on into the future.

What are your thoughts on hydro electricity? Post in the comments below.