Hydroelectricity - Energy Policy Analysis: A Conceptual Framework - page 156

built by the national government at lower construction costs than are available today, it seems
unlikely that any large hydro facility proposed today would share the low dollar costs of previous
generations of hydro plants. National security costs for all hydro technologies are very “low” or
negligible because the materials for producing them are all available in the United States. This is
a distinct advantage hydro technologies hold over other energy technologies that may be acquired
from foreign sources, contribute to global climate change, or leave a legacy of long-term waste
products that are attractive to terrorists.
Hydroelectric technologies do not produce much hazardous waste, are environmentally advanta-
geous because the “fuel” supply will never run out, and cannot be controlled by any combination
of hostile foreign governments. For the foreseeable future, rainfall will always fall upon at least
portions of this planet and, as long as it does, it will provide energy that hydro technologies can
exploit. This means that creating the components of hydroelectric technology is extremely easy,
does not require mining or drilling in a politically dangerous locale, and can be acquired without
involvement of unreliable political allies. Because fewer resources are expended in the acquisition
and utilization of concrete, the overall effect on ecosystems of utilizing hydro technologies is less
than for other fuel sources except solar.
To capture appreciable amounts of energy, hydroelectric facilities require either large
reservoirs or a large number of small generators. Large reservoirs can take up a considerable
amount of space and destroy entire ecosystems, but small generators lack these costs. A practi-
cal solution to this issue is to decentralize utilization of hydropower, using small hydro located
near electricity consumers, thereby reducing the inundation of land and wildlife habitat while
using the water resource with minimum electrical transmission distances, which are described
in Chapter 13. Of the various hydroelectric technologies, small hydro systems hold the great-
est promise for dispersed market penetration utilizing recent technological developments and
financial innovations.
We need to be aware that when we buy electricity from distant generators, we export the en-
vironmental impacts of our energy demand. There are people and other living things at the other
end of the electric wires. The electricity we use is being generated somewhere else, and when we
sign purchase contracts for electricity there are going to be long-term environmental consequences
and not just long-term price stability.
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