In this article, we will discuss Does Hydropower Contribute To Climate change. Hydroelectric power is a renewable energy source. It is produced in great quantities at hydroelectric power facilities all over the world. But does hydropower contribute to global warming? This article examines some of its environmental drawbacks in further detail.
Does Hydropower Contribute To Climate change
Hydropower and Methane Emissions
While hydropower is a clean and renewable energy source, it has been linked to the release of methane into the environment. Methane, along with carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapour, is one of the principal greenhouse gases. These gases, when combined, are to blame for global warming and climate change.
The connection between hydropower and methane is complicated. This comprises a number of elements that must be considered. Some are responsible for methane emissions, while others are in charge of lowering methane emissions.
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How Hydroelectric Dams Release Methane
The release of methane by hydroelectric dams is primarily a result of how they are constructed. They can also leak methane over longer periods of time in rare circumstances. Let us now examine how this occurs.
By Submerging Vegetation
Water accumulates behind a dam wall as engineers build it. This generates a man-made reservoir from which the dam will draw water to power its turbines. The issue is what happens to the area that will become a reservoir.
When water accumulates up behind a dam wall, it floods a large region. This controlled flooding consumes whatever in its path, even vegetation. Due to a lack of oxygen, plant begins to decay when submerged in water. This technique has the potential to emit large amounts of methane into the atmosphere in a short period of time.
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China.
The impact is limited in some regions where reservoirs can be constructed without causing significant vegetation loss (such as desert rivers). The Hoover Dam in the United States is a prime example. The reservoir’s banks are stony and arid, with little vegetation to breakdown. However, the impact might be significant in locations with a lot of vegetation. The Three Gorges Dam in China, for example, inundated a wide area rich in vegetation.
By Supporting Algae Growth
Algae can also develop in hydroelectric dams and reservoirs. This group of aquatic creatures contributes significantly to global methane emissions.
Over the next century, population expansion and climate change will increase the number of algae blooms in the world’s lakes and reservoirs. The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies estimates that this will boost worldwide methane emissions by 30 to 90 percent.
How Hydroelectric Dams Reduce Methane Emissions
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Hydroelectric dams may be responsible for lowering methane emissions in some circumstances. Damming water can have serious consequences for areas downstream.
Hydropower plants are frequently built over huge, powerful rivers. These rivers are frequently responsible for substantial flooding along their routes. A dam can be useful for two reasons: hydropower generating and flood control. When flood management is important, a dam wall can control the flow of water to downstream locations. This almost eliminates the possibility of a river bursting its banks.
Hydroelectric dams have the ability to lower overall methane emissions by minimising the risk of downstream floods. This is achievable because downstream flooding no longer submerges plants. As a result, the vegetation does not breakdown and hence does not emit methane.
This effect is magnified along rivers that may flood frequently in different regions. The reduction in methane emissions downstream can considerably outweigh the hydropower reservoir’s methane emissions.
Hydropower and Carbon Reduction
When determining whether hydropower contributes to climate change, we must also consider its ability to cut carbon emissions. As previously stated, carbon dioxide is a main greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
Every day, the world consumes enormous amounts of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Unlike hydropower, fossil fuels are burned to generate energy. In fact, with the exception of biomass, all other renewable energy sources have the same advantage over fossil fuels.
We emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels. When a hydroelectric plant generates electricity from water, it emits no carbon dioxide. As a result, this can help to mitigate the effects of global warming.
At the end of 2018, hydropower accounted for 50% of total renewable energy capacity. This was more than wind and solar combined! When all of this is considered, it is clear that hydropower plays a significant role in carbon reduction. While methane emissions are a disadvantage of hydropower, carbon reduction is undeniably a benefit.
Conclusion
Companies that plan and run hydroelectric plants sustainably do not contribute to climate change. This entails selecting an area with less vegetation, hence limiting the impact of methane emissions. When engineers construct hydroelectric dams in densely forested areas, considerable amounts of methane are released. As a result, climate change and global warming may be exacerbated.
Regardless of the amount of methane emissions produced by a hydroelectric dam, it still has the ability to reduce global warming. This is because it is responsible for a significant amount of carbon reduction. Unlike traditional power plants, hydropower dams reduce carbon dioxide emissions during energy generation.
We can infer that, while there is clear evidence that hydropower contributes to climate change, it may also have the reverse effect in some circumstances.
You might also be interested in our article on the environmental effects of hydroelectric dams. This section includes additional topics, such as the impact they can have on wildlife.