Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydropower plants also have a facility of pumped storage wherein water is kept as a reserve for
periods of peak power demand. This is the hydroelectric equivalent of recharging your battery.
When the power demand is low, say in the middle of the night, the dam uses a pump to pump the
water back up to the reservoir behind it. This water is then used during times of peak power
demands.
Hydroelectricity Verdict
The production capacity of a dam is dependent on the water supply available. Once constructed,
a hydropower plant will be operational for decades and provided its water sources don’t run out,
it can produce electricity at a constant rate. As mentioned earlier, the output can be easily
controlled. The reservoir that forms behind the dam can be used for irrigation or for leisure
purposes. Also, once the construction is completed, there is a negligible amount of greenhouse
gas emission.
Dams also have a couple of problems, though. Dams are very expensive to build and to last
decades, they must be built to a high standard. Also in the case of dam breaches, the runaway
water will cause significant flooding in the downstream regions. Also, the creation of a reservoir
causes a massive tract of land to get submerged. This area is lost and people living in such
areas are displaced. Sometimes they are compensated, sometimes not. This creates a lot of
tension between the construction and the affected people. Also, the construction of a dam
blocks the natural flow of water and severely reduces the flow downstream. Such situations can
cause disputes between neighbouring countries and even neighbouring states such as
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.