Alternative Energy / Hydroelectric

• South Africa to use Oceanic Currents for 24/7 Uninterrupted Renewable Energy

  Renewable power faces a number of hurdles in gaining wide-scale acceptance.The first is the world’s commitment to “traditional” power sources, in which trillions of dollars have been invested – coal, hydrocarbons, and for the past five decades, nuclear.This fixation leave many renewable energy projects starved for investment, though as oil prices continue to rise and technology improves, the picture is slowly changing.The final and perhaps most significant hurdle however, is renewable energy’s inability to provide uninterrupted electricity 24/7 – the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun does not shine for 24 hours a day.There is a source of renewable…

• The Strange Case of U.S. Hydropower Legislation

  A measure is on its way to the U.S. Senate that proposes easing some regulations for hydroelectric dams in western states. The bill passed easily through the Republican House of Representatives, but faced some objection from lawmakers who complained it would skirt necessary environmental review. A legacy of partisan rancor on Capitol Hill suggests the bill might not stand a chance of seeing the light of day, however. Either the legislation contains some truly objectionable issues, or a policy of "no" is truly keeping even the smallest of energy issues off the U.S. political table. Last week, the House passed the…

• Outrage over Dams Being Built as Part of India's Hydro Energy Scheme

  In demonstrations barely reported in the media, peasants and students in the North-eastern Indian state of Assam are fighting together against a proposed gargantuan network of dams across the upper reaches of its rivers in Arunachal Pradesh, one of the world’s six most seismically active regions. The movement has gathered impressive momentum against a project that threatens devastating environmental, demographic and socio-economic impact. The anxiety and disquiet among the downstream dwellers created over the construction of mega dams in Northeast India has left Assam’s politics in a simmering state. On the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya, lush green tea gardens…

• Once Derided as an Expensive Folly, China’s Three Gorges Dam Goes From Strength to Strength

  China’s Three Gorges Dam Project was launched in 1993 with a $27.69 billion budget. While the Three Gorges construction finished in late 2008, its final six additional turbines in the underground power plant only started generating electricity last year. Located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, the Three Gorges Dam is now the world's largest water control and hydropower project, consisting of a 7,661 foot-long, 594 foot -high dam, a five-tier ship lock, with 26 hydropower turbo-generators generating 20,300 megawatts. Only Brazil’s Itaipu dam produces more electricity. In addition to generating electricity, the Three Gorges Dam controls…

• A Detailed Look at Hydroelectricity's Potential

  Having now sorted solar, wind, and tidal power into three “boxes,” let’s keep going and investigate another source of non-fossil energy and put it in a box. Today we’ll look at hydroelectricity. As one of the earliest renewable energy resources to be exploited, hydroelectricity is the low-hanging fruit of the renewable world. It’s steady, self-storing, highly efficient, cost-effective, low-carbon, low-tech, and offers a serious boon to water skiers. I’m sold! Let’s have more of that! How much might we expect to get from hydro, and how important will its role be compared to other renewable resources? Last week, as soon…

• New Mega-Dam to be Built in Alaska?

  Dams are used to generate hydroelectricity, prevent floods, irrigate farms and supply water to cities. However they also wreck ecosystems and can destroy the livelihood of families and communities, who lose their land to reservoirs or see the dams destroy their fisheries. These growing environmental concerns put pressure on the abandonment of dam-building projects, which have rapidly diminished the number of wild rivers in the world. In fact many dams have been demolished in order to reinstate river habitats and revive fisheries. Back in 1995 the US dam-building era was declared over by Daniel Beard, head of the US Bureau…

• South Africa Signs Major Energy Agreement with Democratic Republic of Congo

  Africa has for the last couple of decades found itself between a rock and a hard place on energy issues, seeing foreigners race in to exploit hydrocarbon reserves (Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, etc.) while soaring population rates and a lack of infrastructure investment have left many nation’s populations bereft of reliable and inexpensive energy resources. One of Africa’s greatest potential energy assets is the vast hydropower of its rivers, which have largely been underutilized up to now. South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo this weekend will sign a major hydropower project which officials from both South Africa…

• Despite Booming Economy, Brazilians Rally Against Amazonian Dam

  No one in the developing world is against hydroelectric projects, which bring the benefits of power and development. Except perhaps the locals. Brazil’s proposed Belo Monte Amazon dam is experiencing an “occupy” moment, with 100s of Xingu River basin indigenous peoples and riverine community members gathering to protest the facility’s construction. The 11,000 megawatt dam Belo Monte Dam is to be built in Altamira, in Para state in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, and if built, will be the world’s largest hydroelectric project. The protesters have blocked the Trans-Amazon Highway (BR-230) around Sao Antonio village, where it passes through…

• Ethiopia's Hydroelectric Program - Boon or Folly?

  Developing countries worldwide view the construction of power facilities as integral to their economic development to lift their populations out of poverty. Ethiopia has now embarked on massive hydroelectric schemes currently involving the construction of two large dams, but the Ethiopian government’s obdurate refusal to consider the potential environmental and political impacts of its efforts to become the “energy hub” of East Africa have generated rising concerns not only in Ethiopia but neighboring nations depending on the country’s water flows. Two projects have elicited local, regional and international concerns. The first is the 1,870 megawatt $2.2 billion Gilgel Gibe III…

• Tajikistan - The Future is Hydroelectricity - or Perhaps Not

  Pity poor Tajikistan. The poorest of the former Soviet republics, after the 1991 implosion of the USSR Tajikistan slid the following year into a violent civil war, which saw Muslim fundamentalists battling the government. The conflict lasted five years and cost 50,000 dead. When the smoke cleared, what little was left of the Soviet infrastructure lay largely in shambles. Since 1997 the government has attempted to improve the economy, but its marginal industrial base combined with rampant corruption has left the nation largely devoid of foreign direct investment, which in the last two decades has barely topped $1 billion, In…