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What Are The Benefits Of Hydropower

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Hydroelectric power is the most commonly used renewable energy source. Worldwide, hydropower is a crucial power supply contributing about 16 percent of global electricity, and by 2050 total installed hydropower capacity will double, generating an annual 7,100 TWh(“Hydroelectric Power”). Conventional hydropower is the most common type. A dam is used to store water in a reservoir, which is higher than the river. Electricity is generated by the potential energy from the higher reservoir. A dam is necessary, which cause various environmental damage. The technical potential of hydroelectricity is high, through the majority of development is not in U.S. Hydropower is a risky energy, and it caused many environmental consequences.
Hydropower has many …show more content…

Hydropower is generated from water moving in the hydrological cycle, which is driven by solar radiation. It does not reduce water resource and does not use any fuel, which makes it a renewable energy. It prevents greenhouse gas emission and helps reduce global warming. Hydropower also gives many economic benefits. The estimated cost of hydroelectricity in 2040 will be $46.4/mwh, which is lower than the estimated cost on 2022(58.2$/MWh). All other energy will become more expensive from 2022 to 2040(“Levelized Cost and Levelized Avoided Cost of New Generation Resources in the Annual Energy Outlook 2017”). Hydropower provides inexpensive power to local communities, creates local jobs, and help to develop infrastructures such as roads and electricity. In addition, hydropower is very flexible. It is able to pump water to a high storage reservoir during off-peak and use it for hydroelectric generation during peak demand. They come on-line within seconds, so they can be used to smooth out errors in wind forecasts where storage has to step in to fill the time gap between the fall down of wind and the ramping up of gas and coal-fired power plants. “Today and for the next 10 to 15 years, over 99% of utility scale storage will be provided by pumped hydro storage. Hydropower is and will remain an essential piece in the energy puzzle”(Lowe). Some hydropower will still be necessary because they can provide storage, help development, and is also

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