Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
hour. Coal costs only about 5
cents per kilowatt-hour, while
hydroelectricity is just 3 cents.
Transmitting energy
from the oceans or coasts to
homes and businesses can
also be costly. In general,
building transmission lines is
expensive, because companies
usually have to buy land from
many owners before setting
up towers to hold the lines.
Electric companies also must
avoid placing towers in certain
areas if the towers might harm
the environment. The process can take many years.
In Their
Own Words
“If a whale is moving
along at 5-6 miles
[8-10 kilometers] per
hour and they run into
a cable, it's not going to
be a nice situation.”
Scientist George Boehlert,
director of the Hatfi eld Marine
Science Center, Newport, Oregon
Limits of Water Power
Although Earth has plenty of water, not all of it can be used for
water power. The best rivers for creating power, for example,
are located near hills and mountains, where water runs
downhill with much kinetic energy. Some rivers move too
slowly to be useful. For tidal power, only certain coastlines have
the strong movement of the tides needed to create electricity.
OTEC is limited to areas near the equator, where the water gets
warm enough at the surface.
Some nations are surrounded by other countries. They have
no direct contact with the oceans, so they may not be able
to use water power to generate the energy they need. Water
power is not the answer for all electricity needs.
