Page 1 of 12
Introduction
What's HYDRO-POWER
(HEP)?
Hydro- Electric Power is one of the
oldest methods of producing
electricity through fast flow of water.
It is a renewable energy. In 2020
17% of world’s electricity was produced by HEP. The first Hydro-electric power plant
was started in 1882 and it is located in
Wisconsin and it uses the Fox River for the
production. It is mostly produced in multi-purpose dams but in some country
hydro-electric power plants are built so that it can only be used to produce electricity.
These power plants are mostly built on fast flowing rivers. Hydropower is produced in
150 countries. China is the largest producer of Hydro- electric power.
What are Hydro power plants?
Hydroelectric power plant converts
possible energy of stored water at a
height into electricity. Some hydropower
plants use dams and some do not.
Hydropower plants range in size from
small systems suitable for a single home
or village to large projects producing electricity for utilities. The most common type of
hydroelectric power plant is an impoundment facility.
Page 2 of 12
How do Hydro-Electric power plants work (Impoundment Facility)?
An impoundment facility, typically a large hydropower system, uses a dam to store river
water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning
it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity.
Benefits of HEP
Hydro-Electric power plant provides us with many advantages. i.e.: -
1) It supports irrigation and provides us with clean drinking water.
2) It is a renewable resource used all over the world.
3) In this process water is not used only its velocity is used.
4) Dams and irrigation canals are repaired when hydro power generation is added in
the structure.
5) It reduces water losses in the irrigation canals.
6) .It is very useful for human beings.
Page 3 of 12
7) Hydro power plants provide essential backup power during major electricity
production.
8) Hydro-Electric power is pollution free.
9) It doesn’t require very skilled workers because its operations are very simple.
10)It is a clean fuel resource because Hydro power is fueled by water.
11) To run the power plants water is needed and so it is provided free by nature.
12)Water can be stored so that it can be used when there is need of basic necessity of
producing electricity.
13)It benefits local economies.
14)It conserves fossil fuels.
15)These systems are long-lived.
Although HEP is very convenient, it can also cause some problems which can be
dangerous especially for the environment.
Problems, impact and solutions
of Hydro-Electric power
The problems of Hydro-Electric power are as follow:-
Page 4 of 12
1. It affects the aquatic life.
Impact:-
A dam that has a reservoir may obstruct fish or any
aquatic animal’s settlement. A dam and reservoir can
also change natural water temperatures, water chemistry, river flow features, and silt
loads which may end up killing aquatic animals.
SOLUTION:-
To reduce such problem we can try to save these animals
by separating them from water when it flows down the
pipes or lower the reservoirs so that it cannot affect the
aquatic animals.
Testing of Solutions:-
We can either make dig tunnels for the animals to go through or maybe build the dam in
such place where there are no animals in the water. We can build fish-friendly turbines.
We can also build electric fish barriers so that fishes don’t enter the area where they get
damaged.
2. Land sliding
Impact:-
Land sliding impacts the hydropower facilities. The movement
of large amounts of materials close to a site can lead to the
burial of structures, weakening of foundations and dumping of
large volumes of material into the water reservoir which can
break them and it can also cause flood.
Page 5 of 12
Solution:-
To decrease this problem we can improve the drainage system and build the dams in an
open area where there are low chances of land sliding.
Testing of solution:-
Building a protective wall to support the bottom of the slope will really help in protecting
the reservoirs or dams from landslides.
3. Disposed to Droughts
Impact:-
As Hydropower is the most reliable and renewable source, it only depends on the
amount of water in any given section. If the area where hydro power plant is built might
be suffering from a drought and climate change keeps warming up the river, more water
will evaporate and the volume and velocity of water will decrease. This may grow to be
greater problem and there will be less production of electricity.
Page 6 of 12
Solution:-
Reduce the evaporation of water from the dams or reservoirs by making a roof or
something that can cover the river or the dams and power plants. It can prevent the
direct heat from the sun on the river and the evaporation could be reduced.
Testing of Solutions:-
Trees and shrubs can be planted around the dam to reduce evaporation losses, make
sure to not plant them very near the dam banks, this can cause the plants to be
damaged. We can build small-scale power plants under a shelter or a roof to prevent
the water from evaporating.
4. Expensive to build
Impact:-
Page 7 of 12
Hydro-electric power plants are very expensive to build as they need a large-scale of
land to be built on, great amount of materials and takes a lot of time.
Solution:-
We can try to build small-scaled dams to save time and money and it will also occupy a
small area.
Testing of Solution:-
Using less land and materials for its construction can be very help full and it will also
damage less of the environment.
4. Floods
Impact:-
It destroys the hydro power plants or dams which
are expensive to build and the destruction of the
plants and dams causes
economic problems of the
government.
Solution:-
There should be a water capacity level in dams so that the operators would
know that how much space is there for more water and stuff like that. Not
too much water should be stored in dams.
Testing of Solutions:-
We can make water level indicators which could indicate the water level of the dams and it
can prevent the dam or the power plant from flooding. The dam must have its limitation of
storing water.
Page 8 of 12
5. Displacement of people
Impact:-
In Pakistan and many countries like India, people went
homeless due to the building of hydro-power development projects. In addition, their
homes were also destroyed and now they have nothing
to live in and people are also forced to leave their
homes.
Solution:-
People who went homeless due to the construction of
these hydro-power plants should be given a certain
place to live in or an organization should be set so
that it can keep displaced people safe just like in
Venezuela.
Testing of Solutions:-
The nation or organization must take the responsibility of the displacement of the
population when building the hydroelectric power development project and the state
banks of countries should use its resources and project funds to protect the displaced
population.
Page 9 of 12
7. Electricity production
reduction
Impact:-
The production of
hydro-electric power
decreases in winter which
decreases the supply of
electricity in both rural and
urban areas and it is difficult for the people to work and do daily life work.
Solution:-
In 2004, approximately two billion people could not get electricity in their homes, and
this problem could get worse as the population continues to grow. So the government at
that time decided that renewable energy could be used to create electricity and it could
replace these types of problems and is very useful.
Testing of solution:-
We can build 24/7, small-scale power plants so that they can continuously produce
electricity and make reservoirs so that it can save water which will be helpful in
producing electricity in winters.
Page 10 of 12
6. Emitting of Carbon dioxide and Methane
Impact:-
While the production of electricity in multipurpose dams
or power plants Methane and Carbon dioxide is
produced and this is bad for the environment.
Solution:-
The government can switch to clean and renewable
energy which can reduce the amount or greenhouse
gases that are emitted in the production of electricity. The plants which are in the river
also release carbon dioxide when they decompose while the production of electricity so
the solution to this problem is to cut down the plants which are in the way before
building the dams and reservoirs.
Testing of solution:-
Cut down all the plants in the river and plant trees or shrubs around the river but not too
close so when the carbon dioxide or Methane will release it will immediately be
absorbed by the trees and shrubs and it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide or
methane from the environment.
Page 11 of 12
These are the all possible solutions to the problems caused by hydroelectric power and
by solving these problems this process will be much better and convenient to use.
Bottom Line
HEP is a better, simple and easiest way to generate or produce electricity and it is good
for the habitat except for the aquatic habitat. HEP is easy to use and it almost produces
the quarter of the world’s electricity. Today almost every country uses HEP for their
production of electricity.
Page 12 of 12
