The Pros and Cons of Hydropower Essay - 1920 Words

Since the invention of electricity, mankind has found many ways to generate electricity by using different energy sources. Energy sources can be classified into two main types which is renewable and non renewable or finite energy (Twidella, Weir, 1985). According to Twindella and Weir (1985) renewable energy is defined as energy that has sustainable sources and can be found in the natural environment. This means that the energy sources can be generated on its own without any human interference (Twidella Weir, 1985). Examples of renewable energy sources are solar energy, wind energy and hydro energy. Non-renewable energy or known as finite energy is defined as energy that is idle and needs an interference to activate the energy to†¦show more content†¦This discussion is about the advantages and disadvantages of hydro-power. One of the advantages of hydropower is that it is more reliable than any other sources. Turbines have an average life span of about 50 years (Twidella Weir, 1985) compared to other renewable energy such as solar energy which have solar panels that last an average of 20 to 25 years (The Cost of Solar Penal , 2011). Hydro-power is more reliable in the long run than non renewable sources such as nuclear energy which has a life span of 25-50 years but have more problems than hydropower. The nuclear plant breaks down from overuse and needs to be repaired thus making it not reliable (Delgado, 2009). Hydro power stations such as the Chenderoh Hydroelectric Power station in Malaysia which was built in 1929 (Dahlen, 1993) and is still generating electricity till today . These show that hydro-power has a longer lasting life than other energy sources. The only fuel that hydro power need is running water and that can be found in most countries. This makes the production of hydro power consistent compare to solar energy which needs a constant supply of sun light to generate electricity. This is not reliableShow MoreRelatedPros and Cons of Energy Sources1119 Words   |  5 Pages Pros and Cons for Oil Pros Cons - Readily available - Creates jobs for economy when required to drill and transport - Largest provider of electricity - The world has been using oil for the last 100 years - Not much new technology will be required to extract oil - Use of oil continually grows the U.S. economy - If certain regions would be allowed to drill oil in, then more oil could be extracted and the price could lower for gasoline - Production of oil rigs could lead to the development ofRead MoreHydroelectric Dams and Floods Essay839 Words   |  4 Pageselectric in order for the water to flow to get to our homes. There are a lot of pros and cons about these hydroelectric dams! 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