Carbon Emissions and Hydo-Electric Dams

 It seems that every time electricity consumption is mentioned, the writer links electricity use to carbon emissions. So what do they base this on? 

Evidently they have not heard about hydro-electric power generation, or else they are ignoring it. 

These writers take a swipe at power dams in passing by mentioning fish migration blockage. Clearly they have no real understanding of how many power dams are designed.

Fish ladders have been used for over half a century that I know of. Possibly longer, if you really delve into it.

A fish ladder is a series of shallow pools that flow slow enough and are not so high that migrating fish cannot jump them.  Anyone who has seen bears fishing in a west coast river will realize migrating fish can and do jump a barrier several feet in height. The bears are smart enough to realize if they stand in the rapids they can catch jumping fish without the use of nets. 

Many dams do in fact incorporate fish ladders in their overall construction.

I read somewhere of plans to demolish an existing power dam on the Snake River in Washington on the border to Oregon state. This is a branch to the Columbia River. Detractors have for years been complaining that the dam is preventing fish migration. Yet a Google search revealed that these dams do in fact already have fish ladders.  Construction dates back to 1933

The dam already exists and is not producing any carbon emissions. Furthermore the dam has now been in existence so long that removal of the dam will have major effects on upstream farm irrigation.

Given that a lot of diesel powered machinery will be used to cart away the debris from the demolished dam this really does not make a lot of sense.

If these greenie fanatics really care about carbon emissions there are other options available.

  

The argument that the old dam turbines are inefficient may be valid but turbines can be replaced and upgraded.  .

The past century was marked by mega projects where everything had to be bigger and better .Then came along an idea that said ‘small is beautiful’

Gradually power engineers are realizing that a super grid spanning the continent may be too expensive and have too many inherent problems.

The new thinking being many small power generators that are dispersed can be just as effective as one big power generator feeding power to locations thousands of miles away.

New designs can mean hydro-electric generation cans co–exist with fish migration. And it may even mean power generation is now possible from streams that were previously considered unfeasible.

Valid concerns about old aging dams not being seismically sound are another valid concern. Smaller dams or better yet dam less construction definitely deserves more study and development.

Hydro-electric is in effect using solar power but indirectly. Sun energy is what produces evaporation which in turn leads to rainfall that results in streams running down to the sea.  If you look at how  the production of the solar cells and the necessary electronic controls plus the manufacture of toxic lead acid batteries  it becomes obvious that  a hydraulic power dam is less polluting to the environment.

Recent developments in water power means we can now generate power from flowing water without damming the creek or stream or impeding fish migration.  Much research has been made in tidal water power generation which involves horizontal water flow with only a modest rise and fall in elevation. Some of these tidal generators do not rely on elevation at all.  These designs could extract power from flowing rivers and streams where there is no possibility of a vertical dam drop nor would they impeded fish migration.

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