Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The Future of Water Power
The amount of electricity created by water power will probably
continue to grow. In the United States, about 10 percent of all
electricity could someday come from the oceans. Around the
world, by 2030, about 250 gigawatts of power could come from
all sources of water power.
Currently, the cost of building turbines and plants to
generate and transmit this electricity is high. It is cheaper,
however, than building plants that generate electricity from the
Sun or wind. Still, keeping ocean and tidal turbines running will
cost money. The effects of corrosion mean that large, expensive
parts must be replaced after
a period of time. Investors
and governments will have to
consider that cost when they
decide which kinds of renewable
energy they should use.
In the future, the world's
need for electricity will continue
to rise. The population keeps
growing, and people keep
buying more goods that run
on electricity. Concerns about
global warming will raise more
interest in renewable energy that
does not contribute to global
warming. If rivers, tides, and
waves are nearby, people will
turn to water power for more of
their energy needs.
In Their
Own Words
“Ocean energy should
be a part of...American
energy needs. These
technologies can help
solve global warming, and
we can build in protection
for healthy oceans from
the start...to make sure
that the technologies meet
strong environmental
standards.”
Diane Regas, Environmental
Defense Fund
