HYDROPOWER & OFFSHORE wIND/TIDAL ENERGY
Hydropower.
Hydropower uses moving water to create energy. This is a large and abundant source because the majority of the world is made of water. The water itself is a renewable resource, however natural ecology is not. Thousands of water sources are dammed to produce hydroelectricity, these dams impact ecosystems harming plants and fish. As a result, hydroelectric power has slowed because of the negative impacts on ecosystems.
How it works.
Dams are used to create a barrier on rivers and then released to control the spin of a turbine which generates electricity. Small dams bypass portions of the river and may block water accessibility to certain areas.. The country as a whole benefits from the use of hydroelectric power.
Offshore wind, wave
& tidal energy.
Harnessing energy from offshore winds, waves, tides and is developed to protect resources. Energy projects are being developed to protect the ocean ecosystems.
How it works.
Offshore wind energy is generated from wind turbines, attached to the sea bed using a fixed foundation. Deeper water, floating platforms are need to support the wind turbines and when the wind blows, the blades of the turbine rotate and power a generator that converts the wind energy into electricity. The electricity is then transferred through underwater cables to homes and cities.
Waves, tides and currents work through devices that harness the kinetic energy, buoys or clam-like shells underwater are equivalent to underwater wind turbines.
Environmental impacts.
o Dams impact fish, water flow, aquatic environments
o Large dams physically block fish migration patterns from reaching spawning grounds
o Reservoirs impact flow, temperature, chemistry, slit loads of river
o Decreases fish population and reduced miles of fish habitat
o Dammed reservoirs cover important agricultural land and force people to leave
o Resource protection, river flow, water quality
Advantages.
o Clean energy, building and maintain facilities is labour and material intensive
o Requires turbine blades with skilled technicians and will create thousands of jobs
o Can harvest 54 giga-watts to power over 42 million homes
o Used where large tides occur to generate more tidal energy
Offshore energy future.
o Testing to reduce ocean impacts and make adjustments to improve efficiency and compatibility to the ocean
o Marine spatial planning
o Off shore renewable energy meets ocean conservation
o Ecologically sensitive marine areas are not suitable because of transmission lines
o Ensure migrating patters and marine life are not disturbed