8.

0 INNOVATION, IMPROVEMENT AND FUTURE

IBRAHIM FATHIH (KEA120703)

Hydroelectricity or hydropower is a renewable, non-polluting energy. It does not cause any

greenhouse gas emissions or produce any toxic waste. Moreover, it presently correspond to almost
20% of global electrical capacity and has a growth potential of 3 times its present level. While the
investment required and the human and environmental impact weigh heavily on large dam-building
projects, the future seems promising for small hydropower systems. In addition, hydropower has
low operating and maintenance costs. Its life cycle is extremely long and it is highly reliable in
functioning terms because it is a tried and a tested technology. Therefore, this technology will have
a great impact in the near future as a lot of studies and researches are being done in this area to
improve the present hydropower technologies.
On the other hand, hydropower can also be used to meet electricity demand at times of fluctuating
needs. Although, it is not possible to store electricity on that much of a large scale, water can be
contained in large reservoirs using dams or dikes. By doing this we can store potential energy in
case of a crisis or normal use. In addition, a hydropower plant can reach its maximum potential
within few minutes compared to other renewable sources.
It may look like that everything is going well for hydropower plants, however, by building dams and
other structures related to hydropower plants, it can have human and environmental
consequences. Therefore, a lot of studies are being conducted to minimise the damage and also
build better hydropower plants that can achieve higher efficiency without damaging the aquatic
wildlife and also the river or stream itself.
Nevertheless hydropower still ranks first among renewable energy sources and it remains essential
in future course of human race. Hydroelectricity currently accounts for almost 90% of renewable
electricity production worldwide. In addition, researchers claim that the planet has yet to achieve
its full hydroelectric potential which is about 15,000 TWh. This value gives us an overview of the
potential this field got for the future generations. Alternatively, there are number of ways we could
improve the current level of hydropower technology i.e. either adding new turbines to the existing
facilities, building new dams or developing small hydropower plants. Furthermore, we could also
upgrade the existing water wheels as is the case with many current and completed projects.
Consequently, four areas represent the future of hydro energy: tidal power, marine current power,
wave power and osmotic power. In a candid note on a research page, the Department of Energy of
US admits that, "Every tidal and marine current project faces a cost efficiency issue and the
cemetery of inventions is full of projects technically viable but economically bound to death." But
that doesn't mean they're not trying. More than two thirds of the research budget of its Water
Power Program is dedicated to developing new technologies. The beauty of hydropower unlike
conventional dams, which halt the flow of rivers and release the water gradually to generate
electricity, is that hydro power focus on benefitting from moving water rather than controlling it.
However, the downside to this power is that underwater turbines must be built to withstand more
force than wind turbines.

Presently, Darris White of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, forgoes the fixation on
keeping the turbines in place. White is working on autonomous turbines that would act like schools
of fish, traveling with the current and communicating with one another via sensors. This method
would not only save a lot of cost, its efficiency can end the regime of the use fossil fuels.
Furthermore, there have also been recent studies on harnessing osmotic power via hydropower
systems. The system is a very complicated case and several researches have come close in making
this a reality. When seawater and river water are separated by a membrane that only the latter can
cross, osmosis naturally pulls them together. The resulting brackish water flows with enough kinetic
energy to generate electricity. But the last few years have seen great progress in the technology,
notably the development of a membrane cheap and dependable enough for commercial use. The
upside is that time of day, weather and the season play no part in the process, meaning everything
is easier to control. The downside is that salinity levels in bodies of water are inevitably changed,
making it harder for fish and other marine species to survive.
While it is hard to know which of these methods will bear more fruit than others and what
technologies will be invented in the future to take advantage of new sources of hydropower
technology. However, it is safe to assume that hydropower technology will play a major role in the
future energy crisis to come. Nonetheless, environmental considerations should be kept in our
minds as the major motivation of developing this technology is to get rid of fossil fuels which is
quite harmful to the environment. Hopefully, in 10 to 20 years we will see a glimmer of light
through this technology which will be efficient and also environment friendly.