Posts Tagged ‘blog’
What Are Some Energy Sources
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Cost of Alternative Energy Sources: Is Hydro all Worth It?
Right now, the chatter for greener Alternative Energy sources is increasing. The cost of fossil fuels is fluctuating every now and then. Energy companies are hard pressed into looking for new sources of these fossil fuels. And there is now the demand from consumers and green advocates to go greener. All these things contribute to the movement of discovering and tapping into Renewable energies like hydropower. But before everyone can go full swing in the adoption of this energy source, one important question should be answered first- is hydropower and the rest of renewable energies all worth it? Well the good news is that Hydroelectric Power and the rest of the other Renewable Energy Resources do come in cheap in terms of production and this is the reason why these energy resources are getting the attention.
Status of hydro power in terms of energy source
ın terms of worldwide production, around 20 percent of all the Electricity produced is generated by tapping the enormous power of running water. And in the United States, the dependence on this Renewable Energy Source is growing. As of the last count, it is said that 7 percent of the total power that is produced in the US is sourced from running water. Other than the US, countries that depend on this renewable energy include Canada, China and Brazil. And all these countries choose hydro as their leading renewable energy source for many reasons including its cost-effectiveness.
Is hydro power production costly?
In terms of efficiencies, there is nothing much to say about hydro plants. A check on how does hydroelectricity work will reveal that this is the most efficient way of generating electricity. And if compared with the traditional energy sources, hydroelectric power’s efficiency is more pronounced. Based on estimates the modern hydro turbines that are used right now can convert almost 90 percent of the energy into electricity. Contrast this with just 50 percent conversion rate for the fossil fuel plants. In terms of cost per kilowatt-hour of kwh, the cost per kwh for hydropower competes well with the other Renewable Energy Resource. According to some estimates, the average cost of hydropower per kilowatt-hour is 0.85 cents. If ranged with the Other Energy Sources used in many countries, you will note that is 50 percent cheaper than the cost of Nuclear Energy per kilowatt hour, 40 percent the cost of fossil fuel and 25 percent of the cost of electricity from natural gas.
There are other reasons why it’s cost effective to go hydro. Hydropower plants are immune to the rising and the constant fluctuations of fuel costs. Other traditional energy sources rely on fuel in order to generate electricity. And for most energy sources, bulk of their operations and maintenance cost can be traced to fuel costs. But this is not applicable to hydroelectricity generation. Hydropower plants don’t need fossil fuels in order to generate electricity. Based on statistics, from 1985 to 1990, the cost of operating the hydropower grew at less than the rate of the published inflation rate. If there is one BIG drawback about hydro plants and power generation using water, then it is in the cost of setting up the plants. Land is needed plus the construction costs should be taken into consideration
About the Author
One of the common questions asked about alternative energy sources is the cost. Once you learn things on how does hydroelectricity work, you will discover that the source is cheap.
Coast To Coast AM – 23.3.2011 – 1/12 – Global Conspiracy / Alternative Energy
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