Hydroelectricity Case

How many times have you walked into a dark room and turned on the lights, and then left the room leaving them on without even thinking about how much energy you may be consuming? How often have you thought of how power is supplied to your home, and the negative impact on the environment it may be causing? Whether your energy is coming from a generator or a power plant you still have to stop and think of the resources you are using and the negative impact it has on the earth.

There are many different ways power is created to include, through fossil fuels, nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, wave power, and geothermal power. In this essay we will be discussing the differences between hydropower and nuclear power, and the differences between their negative and positive impacts on the environment.

Nuclear power was invented and became popular in 1956 when the first power station opened in Calder Hall in Cumbria, England. Nuclear power produces around eleven percent of the world's power today. One major advantage it has compared to fossil fuels used in the past is that it produces less pollution. While using less fuel it is producing less smoke and carbon dioxide, it is keeping down the greenhouse effect while producing the same amount of energy costing the same as fossil fuels. Although it is normally a very reliable source of energy it does have a few disadvantages. In 1986 a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl Ukraine, had a massive meltdown due to flawed design and inadequately trained personnel. "Two workers died during the meltdown and another 28 died within the next few weeks due to radiation poisoning. Many other deaths were related to the fallout for months after the meltdown." (world nuclear association) Effects were seen as far as the UK from the radioactive fallout. Another downfall to

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nuclear power plant is the fact that natural disasters do have an effect on the plants. In 2011 a massive earthquake led to the shutdown of a nuclear plant in Fukushima Daiichi. "The earthquake led to a tsunami measuring upwards of 14 feet that caused the plant to lose as power to Units 1, 2, and 3. It also carried away the fuel tanks that powered many of the backup generators to run the plant." (world nuclear association) Although, it was not as massive as the effects at Chernobyl it did cause radiation to be released into the environment. Nuclear power does have many dangerous qualities due to the fact that poor design and natural disasters can be a major factor in the running of the plants.

Hydroelectric power is created when a dam is built to trap water from an existing body of water; it is then sent through turbines to drive generators. There are several advantages to having this kind of power. One being that, after the initial cost of the dam the power source is virtually free. Using water instead of fossil