The Pros And Cons Of Hydroelectric Power

As the world grows older and technology advances, many forms of renewable energy have been developed, from the use of the sun to the use of water. Hydroelectric power is one of those sources that use water. Countries all over the world have hydroelectric plants in operation. Prime spots to place hydroelectric plants are already being used or under environmental scrutiny, which impedes on the renewable energy form from becoming the main source of power in the United States. On the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, the first hydroelectric power plant in the United States was built in 1882. Soon after hydroelectric power plants begun to be built all over the country, with 40 percent of the United States electricity coming from hydroelectric power by 1940. Today, hydroelectric power makes up 6 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. (NRDC Hydropower) The Grand Coulee on the Columbia River hydroelectric power plant in Washington produces the 6180 Megawatts of power, with Chief Joseph hydroelectric power plant on

At one point hydroelectricity was at the top of that list with dams being built constantly from the 1940s to the 1960s. Today, hydroelectric power plants have slowed considerably. (Hydroelectric power water use) With all of the prime locations for hydroelectric dams already taken or under environmental scrutiny. Building of hydroelectric power plants comes with social and environmental impacts that cannot be avoided. (Klimpt, Rivero, Puranen, Koch, 2002, p.1308) The impacts on the environment in building a hydroelectric are big reason why hydroelectric power cannot sustain the power consumption of the United States. Even new breakthroughs in preventative measures that keeps fish out of turbines and helps fish migrate upstream, still can’t alter the changed ecosystem that a reservoir