9 Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power

If you are wondering the disadvantages of hydroelectric power than you might at the right place. Here I collected some disadvantages of hydroelectricity that I am going to share with you right now!

No doubt hydroelectric energy is one of the most useful energy ever! Hydroelectric power is a renewable source which will never end after the usage of that energy. But there are some limitations and disadvantages of hydroelectric power also.

So here, First we will see brief disadvantages of hydroelectric power and after that, we will going into detail about that particular point. So read completely.

Brief disadvantages of hydroelectric power:

20% of total electrical energy is generated from the hydroelectric power plant in the world. So in spite of seeing only advantages of hydroelectric energy we should see another side also. list of Disadvantages of hydroelectricity is below:

1. Hydroelectric power generation creates environmental consequences
2. Construction requires large space
3. Require high Initial cost
4. It causes risk of drought
5. Transmission of power is complicated and the cost will also be high.
6. Depend on whether
7. Ecological impacts
8. Limited reservoir
9. requires high-quality materials for constructing dams

here In last, we provide infographic related to this disadvantage which helps you more for understanding the disadvantages of hydroelectricity.

So now we will talk about all the disadvantages of power in detail step by step.

#1: power generation creates environmental consequences

Hydroelectric power generation creates environmental consequences which are related to an interruption in nature due to the damming of water, changed water flow and the construction of roads and power lines. Because hydroelectric power plants and dams utilize the flow of water, this also alters the natural flow of rivers.

Power plant interface with aquatic life also. This is a huge probability that the fish or other river animals are come with the water flow to the dam and get the way into a penstock and eventually into the turbine where they will be terminated.

#2: construction require large space

In hydroelectric power plant require the construction of dams which require large space. Dams are produced on hilly or maintain area by clearing forest. This may cause some unbalance of eco-systems.

Here you can see the schematic arrangement of a hydro-electric power plant. The constituents of a hydro-electric plant are (1) hydraulic structures (2) water turbines and (3) electrical equipment.

In the hydroelectric structure in a plant, generation includes dams, spillways, headworks, surge tank, penstock, and accessory works. Electrical equipment includes alternators, transformers, circuit breakers, and other switching and protective devices.

These all constitute of hydroelectric power require large space which is one of the disadvantages of hydro-electric power.

See also – Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Power Plant

#3: Require high Initial cost

One disadvantage of the hydroelectric power plant is that it requires a high budget for the construction of the dam and the installation of the turbine. There are also some electrical equipment require like an alternator, transformer. Breakers and other switches cost high at an initial time.

#4: It causes a risk of drought

Price of electricity is directly proportional to the generation of electricity from hydropower plant. A severe drought could impact this. There is a possibility that happens when building hydroelectric power plants is the occurrence of local droughts. Lower areas become a victim of floods due to much water might be released from dams. So the risk of drought is the disadvantage of a hydro-electric power plant.

#5: Transmission is complicated and the cost will be high

Hydropower plants are generally located in hilly areas where water is easily available in huge quantity. For the supplement of electricity in city areas or residential area, the cost will be high for this power plant. Even this cost is the highest cost in total electricity cost from generation to distribution. Even for this power plant, energy transmission is also complicated because of their location.

#6: Depend on whether

I think you probably know all about this disadvantage. Hydropower is totally depended upon the weather condition. During the rainy reason a huge amount of water available at that time but during the summer seasons, not that much water is available for producing the required electricity. For sort out this disadvantage, an auxiliary power plant is taken into consideration for a generation at that time. An auxiliary power plant can be any power plant like diesel power plant or others.

7# Ecological impacts

Wildlife habitat can undergo flooding when hydroelectric plants are built and can have dramatic impacts on a local ecosystem and the animals and plants that live there. Wildlife migrations may be dramatically altered, and there may be a loss of suitable habitat as well as a loss of important species.

We all know hydroelectric power plants don’t need any fuel and don’t even pollute the environment by emitting any gases. But indirectly they disturb the environment. The activities involved in the construction of dam disturb the environment indirectly.

When the natural flow of river water changed to the dam, there are chances of a flood in nearby areas. People living in nearby areas get uprooted. So this is also a negative effect of hydroelectric power.

#8: Limited reservoir

A reservoir is made to provide the required amount of water for generation during the shortage of water happens. Every Hydropower plants have the limited reservoir which is not every time sufficient to provide necessary shortage water.

#9: Require high-quality material for construction of dam

Dams should be constructed with high-quality material. Dam breakage can lead to massive flooding, which causes a huge impact on the environment. By using high-quality material cost also increase in construction so these can be also one of the dangers of hydroelectric power.

Infographic

Conclusion

Here we saw all the negative effects of the hydropower plant. Hope you understand well. There is no doubt that the hydroelectric power plant is the most effective way of power generation without atmospheric pollution. But we saw this some disadvantages of hydropower which should be taken into consideration and try to reduce these dangers as much as possible.

hope now you know all disadvantages of hydroelectric power and negative effects of hydroelectric power. If you have any issue regarding this article kindly comment below I will surely help you soon. Thanks for your appreciation!