Hydroelectric dams provide a source of clean, renewable energy. However the impo
ID: 105840 • Letter: H
Question
Hydroelectric dams provide a source of clean, renewable energy. However the impoundment of water behind a dam also has its drawbacks. What use of the water should take precedent? Is the use of water to produce energy more important than other uses, such as to allow the migration of fish to their spawning grounds? What are some other advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric dams? Can you provide specific examples of dams that have either solved or created problems?Response should be close to 500 words . Add any references used to answer this question. Hydroelectric dams provide a source of clean, renewable energy. However the impoundment of water behind a dam also has its drawbacks. What use of the water should take precedent? Is the use of water to produce energy more important than other uses, such as to allow the migration of fish to their spawning grounds? What are some other advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric dams? Can you provide specific examples of dams that have either solved or created problems?
Response should be close to 500 words . Add any references used to answer this question.
Response should be close to 500 words . Add any references used to answer this question.
Explanation / Answer
ANSWER:
The benefits and drawbacks of any proposed hydropower development must be weighed before moving forward with any project. Still, if it's done right, hydropower can be a sustainable and nonpolluting source of electricity that can help decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce the threat of global warming.
Dams can also block the migration of fish that swim upstream to reach spawning grounds. In the Pacific Northwest and California, large dams have blocked the migration of coho, chinook, and sockeye salmon from the ocean to their upstream spawning grounds.Some steps are being taken to move fish around the dams, such as putting them in barges or building fish ladders, but success has been limited. Downstream fish passage can also be a challenge since young fish can be chewed up in the turbines of the dam as they head towards the ocean.
Advantages
Hydroelectricity does not "use" water, all of the water is returned to its source of origin.
Hydroelectric power can be created 24/7 indefinitely assuming that the body of water it is utilizing never runs dry.
It is also another absolutely clean source of energy.
The power plants, once in place, do not create any waste byproducts in their conversion.
Disadvantages
Like all power plants, hydroelectric plants are very expensive to build, and must be built to a very high standard.
The high cost means that plants must operate for a long time to become profitable.
The creation of dams can also create flooding of land, which means natural envrionment and the natural habitat of animals, and even people, may be destroyed.
While not every dam causes huge problems, cumulatively the world's large dams have replumbed rivers in a massive experiment that has left the planet's freshwaters in far worse shape than any other major ecosystem type, including tropical rainforests. In response, dam-affected communities in many parts of the world are working to resolve the legacies of poorly planned dams.
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