The primary challenge in the energy sector relates to a situation where energy production tends to have severe impacts on the environment, which creates the need for the development of alternative energy sources. One of the most effective approaches that governments have undertaken in their approach to producing electricity is the usage of streaming water, which helps in turning turbines that produce electricity (Martins, Seiffert, & Dziedzic, 2013). According to researchers, the idea of using producing hydroelectric energy is advantageous, as it seeks to create that necessary avenue from which to ensure that the energy produced is precise and reliable. When selecting an alternative source of energy, it is essential to evaluate the advantages that this source of energy presents as part of dealing with the challenges in the energy sector. Hydroelectric energy, as an alternative source of energy, has a wide array of advantages and disadvantages when compared to other sources of energy. The first key advantage associated with the utilization of hydroelectric energy is that it is a renewable type of energy, thus, meaning that the impacts that it would have on the environment are minimal when compared to other sources of energy. When determining the effectiveness of a given source of energy, one of the critical factors to consider is the impact associated with the production process on the natural environment (Martins, Seiffert, & Dziedzic, 2013). The primary method used in the production process of this energy is streaming water that helps in turning turbines, which, in turn, helps in producing energy. Water is a readily available resource on earth thereby meaning that the impacts that this source of energy would have on the environment are very limited. The second notable advantage associated with hydroelectric energy is that the energy produced using this method is stable and reliable meaning that it would be viable in producing energy that would meet specific demands. The reliability of a source of energy is essential to consider, as it defines whether to consider selecting a given source of energy when compared to another. The demand for energy is increasing at a rapid rate attributed to the significant increase in population, thus, creating the need for governments to find alternative sources of energy that would be considered as reliable. In the case of hydroelectric energy, the central aspect that helps in defining this source of energy as reliable is the fact that water is a readily available commodity. Ultimately, this means that the existence of flowing or streaming water in rivers and other water bodies would create a high possibility of producing adequate energy. The third advantage relates to the fact that hydroelectric energy is a clean source of energy that does not cause any form of pollution or contamination of the natural resources involved in the energy production process. In most cases, water used in the production of electricity can be used for other purposes including domestic use considering that the production process does not cause any form of contamination (Levine & Barnes, 2010). On the other hand, this means that majority of the countries around the world have a high possibility of engaging in energy production considering that they have an adequate number of rivers and other water bodies. Ultimately, this means that the adoption of hydroelectric energy may help in reducing the costs of energy, which have been on a significant rise within the last few years, especially in developed countries. The fourth advantage associated with hydroelectric energy when compared to other sources of energy is that the costs associated with production are relatively low, which, in turn, helps in reducing operational costs. On the other hand, the cost of maintenance associated with equipment used in the production of this type of energy is also meager when compared to the maintenance of equipment in other sources of energy (Levine & Barnes, 2010). In the long-term, the low costs translate to a reduction in energy prices for individual consumers, thus, meaning that most people will position themselves to access energy. Additionally, the dams constructed to help in hydroelectric energy production not only serve the purpose of energy production but can also be used for long-term projects within their respective communities. In that view, this means that the communities living around dams involved in hydroelectric energy products may profit significantly from such projects. Lastly, engaging in hydroelectric energy production may present some form of advantage for the countries involved considering that this type of energy has the capacity and capability of meeting the set-out demands for energy (Bai et al., 2017). As indicated earlier, the demand for energy has gone up significantly attributed to a significant rise in population, which creates the need for the utilization of an alternative source of energy to meet this demand. After setting up the initial phase of hydroelectric energy production, it becomes much easier for the countries to match the energy produced by the set-out demands. In the long term, this would help in ensuring that the countries maintain a constant flow of energy production, which may be of value in promoting economic development. On the other hand, it is equally important to evaluate some of the disadvantages associated with hydroelectric energy to determine its effectiveness as an alternative source of energy. The crucial first disadvantage is that engagement in hydroelectric energy production may have many identified effects on the water bodies and ecosystems, which may have significant impacts on the marine environment. One of the disadvantages identified relates to notable influence on the migration of fish considering that fish take note of water levels, speed, and safe spots as the critical determinants of their migration (Ozolcer, 2017). However, engagement in hydroelectric energy production would mean that the water speeds would reduce significantly considering that the projects require the construction of dams to regulate the flow of energy. The long-term effect is that some of the areas in the aquatic ecosystem may experience reduced marine life due to the inability of the fish to migrate. The second disadvantage associated with hydroelectric energy is that it creates a high possibility of floods in some of the lower areas attributed to the bursting of the dams constructed, which poses notable threats to the local populations. The bursting of dams has become one of the critical areas of concern for the teams involved in the construction of dams, as most of these teams are not in a position to provide residents with a guarantee of safety (Min & Kim, 2017). The construction of dams means that the amount of water collected within a specific environment would increase significantly, which, in turn, suggests that any form of malfunction in the dams would have serious implications. Consequently, this has resulted in the need for people living in some of the lower parts of the dams to migrate to other areas due to the fear associated with the dams constructed. Lastly, engaging in the production of hydroelectric energy using dams may have severe effects in creating a shortage in water supply for the local communities. To help ensure that the amount of energy produced increases, governments are involved in building huge dams with the potential of thousands of Khw of energy that would meet the demand in the respective countries (Subaru, Mustafa, & Bashir, 2014). However, the construction of these dams means that the amount of water that would flow downstream is somewhat limited, thus, creating some form of challenge for the communities that rely on the water bodies. The long-term effect is that the water bodies may experience notable shortages of water, which, in some cases, would act as a risk factor for drought. The ultimate effect is that this would cause conflicts between communities attributed to the scarcity of water as one of the natural resources.
Conclusion
In summary, hydroelectric energy remains one of the notable alternative sources of energy in a majority of countries around the world, most of which have embraced the idea of producing energy using streaming or flowing water. However, it is essential to consider the advantages and disadvantages associated with this source of energy before determining its effectiveness in the production process. A review of the advantages indicates that hydroelectric energy is renewable, clean, stable and reliable. Additionally, the costs associated with the production process of hydroelectric energy are relatively low when compared to other sources of energy. However, a review of the disadvantages suggests that hydroelectric energy may have adverse effects on marine life, creates a high possibility of floods in some of the lower areas, and may result in a shortage in water supply for the local communities.
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References
Bai, R. et al. (2017). The development of biodiversity conservation measures in China's hydro projects: A review. Environment International , 108 (1), 285-298.
Levine, J., & Barnes, F. S. (2010). Energy variability and produced water: two challenges, one synergistic management approach using pumped hydroelectric energy storage. Journal of Energy Engineering , 136 (1), 6-10.
Martins, D. E. C., Seiffert, M. E. B., & Dziedzic, M. (2013). The importance of clean development mechanism for small hydropower plants. Renewable energy , 60 (1), 643-647.
Min, C. G., & Kim, M. K. (2017). Flexibility-based reserve scheduling of pumped hydroelectric energy storage in Korea. Energies , 10 (10), 1478-1491.
Ozolcer, I. H. (2017). Sustainable Hydroelectric Energy Methods: A Proposal for the Western Black Sea Region. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin , 26 (8), 5363-5371.
Suberu, M. Y., Mustafa, M. W., & Bashir, N. (2014). Energy storage systems for renewable energy power sector integration and mitigation of intermittency. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews , 35 (1), 499-514.
