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Why Kentucky Should Use Hydroelectric Power

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Energy is a key factor in today's society, especially in Kentucky. Kentucky's main energy resource is coal, 91.8 percent of our energy comes from this resource but coal is nonrenewable, meaning that there is a limited amount of this type of fuel. Coal mining is also detrimental to the environment, people living and working in coal mining communities have a higher chance of getting lung cancer. with surface mining, this has been linked as a cause for poisoning local residences from the chemicals used in the mountaintop mining. there are still issues with the environment and natural wildlife in the surrounding areas of the coal mining as well. these are reasons why Kentucky needs to convert to renewable resources for a form of energy. People …show more content…

With coal mining comes the stripping of mountains, also called mountaintop removal. This is the act of blasting and stripping miles of mountain and forest to gather enough coal for the coal plants. One form of energy that could prevent the landscape from suffering is using Hydroelectric power. Hydraulic power or Hydropower uses the energy from water when the H2o moves the turbines to create the electric energy that is then sent to power grids and then homes or workplaces. Hydropower is made when the water being held in a reservoir is passed through turbines turning the kinetic energy of the water into mechanical energy when the water's force moves the turbines. With The motion of the turbines, the mechanical energy is then harnessed into electrical energy from the generator in the dam. Kentucky has three hydro-powered dams since 2014 so this means that Kentucky already has experience in this for of …show more content…

Bill Estep said in the Kentucky Herald-Leader in an article about hydropower in Kentucky, this article was written in 2015, talking about the prospect of hydropower in Kentucky, though most of the energy made from the new plants are speculated to be used in other states and not the coal-dominant energy industry of Kentucky. There is already 3.4% of the energy used in Kentucky that is made from the seven hydro-powered dams that it has, a small number compared to the amount of energy used from coal but still a hopeful number that hydropower can start to become a larger part of Kentucky's energy. Hydropower produces about 0.7 cents per kilowatt-hour as stated in Alternative energy, alternative energy for the 21st century.This is about one-third the cost compared to using fossil fuel or nuclear energy, and one thing most states can agree upon is cost efficiency when it comes to their energy

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