Posted Apr 1, 2019, 4:40 PM
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The New Republic
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: United Provinces of America
Posts: 10,808
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Quote:
Originally Posted by milomilo
The (lack of) scaling of those bars is painful.
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Hydro-electric is the cleanest major source of energy we have but it's not all positive. There are lots of negatives that result from damming rivers that rarely get aired.
Quote:
List of Cons of Hydropower
1. It can destroy natural habitats.
Any power plant that is on an industrial scale will have some unfavorable effects on the environment. When a dam is to be built, there will naturally be changes to the environment so that it can be done. And, these changes can have significant contributions to the destruction of natural habitats.
2. It still emits carbon dioxide and methane.
Hydropower reservoirs can still release a large amount of methane and carbon dioxide, as the areas around them is filled with water, trees and plants that can start rotting and decomposing through other method without using oxygen. This would mean that these power plants can cause decomposition that can dump a great amount of carbon dioxide and methane into the environment, increasing pollution.
3. It can cause flooding.
Records show that construction of dams have actually caused surrounding towns to be flooded out and taken over by water, causing them to be non-existent or underwater ghost towns.
4. It offers limited use.
As hydropower is produced by the water that depends on yearly rain, this means that only the areas using this method and receiving a good amount of rainfall can take advantage of this technology.
5. It risks extinction of species.
Whenever a hydropower dam changes the habitats of animals that exist in the area of construction, there is always the risk of extinction to a certain species. Dams can cause problems with flooding, which endangers animal life. Other than this, dams can change the flow of rivers and other waterways that can cause water shortages to the neighboring communities and local livestock.
6. It requires high installation costs.
Although the operating costs of dams are believed to be low, the construction and installations of dams, as well as the turbines, can cost a lot due to the many regions not currently employing this alternative source of energy. If the initial cost had been less, then many countries have already used this energy source more commonly, but their construction actually requires a lot of labor and human capital, not to mention that their maintenance is very expensive.
7. It promotes siting.
Some hydropower sites in the US have been widely contested, as many of them were seen as a major loss for conservation efforts, like the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and O’Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park in 1923. Many of these developments were actually stopped by bitter opposition from environmental groups, who consider that the government was only prioritizing development over the natural resources of a region.
8. It risks breaking of dams.
There is a lot of dams that were built for industrial use but are not currently used and removed as they can cause serious flooding. This would affect a huge number of people, including their property.
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https://greengarageblog.org/16-main-...-of-hydropower
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