Hydropower essays

Hydropower essays With the earths precious natural resources being used up and the pollution from our great use of fossil fuels, many nations and communities have turned to the use of an alternative energy sources. Among those alternative energy sources is the use of tidal waves and currents to generate electricity. This source is known as offshore hydropower. Believe it or not, hydropower is the most common source of renewable electricity in the United States. Though hydropower is a fairly new source for energy, it is definitely possible to be used on a large scale. Seventy-five percent of our earth is made up of water, so the lack of the resource should never be a problem. Most large scale hydro-facilities come from the development of dams and reservoirs. Many large-scale dam projects have been criticized for blocking fish migration, shifting wildlife habitats, and affecting the quality of the water and the way it flows. Though dams and reservoirs may not be ideal for a long-term, large-scale use, tidal and wave energy is definitely one. Tidal and wave energy is a great source to use on a large scale because it produces a lot of energy with only a little amount of negative impact. A single turbine has the ability to provide an efficient amount of electricity for up to seventy-five homes at a time. Tidal energy is already used on a large scale in countries such as China, Japan, and the United States. Of course, each project for harnessing energy has its drawbacks as to why it would be hard to use on a large scale and among those for tidal power is the loss of a marine habitat. The marine life is a very precious one that it rather delicate to changes around it and with the placing of these massive turbines in the water it causes a disruption in their habitat. Many fish have the possibility of swimming into the currents that go through a turbine and getting killed by the rotation of the blade. With the problem of over-harvesting already, pe...