Hydroelectric Energy

• Lucky for us, on planet Earth the water cycles!
• HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY harnesses the reliable downhill motion of rivers and streams to produce electricity.

• In certain locations, this inner heat is close enough to the surface to heat the ground water (often called hot springs).
• This hot water is turned into steam which spins magnets around a copper coil to generate electricity.
  • The cooled water is returned to the ground where it warms again to create more electricity.

• The stored water in dams provides a consistent energy and water source for people living near the river.
  • These lakes provide potential aquatic food resources as well.

• Because falling water spins magnets around copper coils, the water is not polluted and neither is the air.
• Hydropower can even be created using dirty water!

• Unfortunately, not every city is located near a consistently flowing river with a large change in elevation and space for a lake.

• Dams don’t just magically appear in on rivers.
• Concrete for the dam and metal for pipes must be mined, transported and set up by equipment that burn fossil fuels.
  • While hydropower is clean at point of use, there is still environmental impact during setup.

• Once a dam is built, the area behind it is flooded destroying habitats for plants and land animals.
• If humans live in the area, their towns are flooded and they must move.

• One of the functions of rivers is to erode rocks and carry sediment to the ocean which results in fresh shorelines and sedimentary rock formation.
• Dams not only disrupt this rock cycle, but they get clogged by these sediments and must be cleaned regularly to function.

• Dams create a barrier to aquatic life moving within the river ecosystem.
• Salmon specifically are born in freshwater streams, cruise down rivers to the ocean and return to their birth streams to reproduce.
• Dams on migration routes install fish ladders which allow movement past the dam and room to rest.

HYDROPOWER accounts for 2.5% of all energy consumed in US

China produces the most hydroelectric energy in the world.

• Norway is a mountainous coastal country with 5.5 million residents.
• While the China may produce more total hydropower, Norway gets the highest proportion of their energy from geothermal!

• Geothermal is tied for 3rd on the ICARE comparison, because other than being very efficient, it has midrange ranking for other scores.
• For countries that find themselves on a large, reliable river, hydropower can provide clean, cheap energy if managed properly.