Hydropower Concerns due to Climate Change

Context

Droughts and floods damaging hydropower dams are made more frequent and severe by climate change are an “increasing concern” for hydropower.

Key Highlights

• Recent droughts in Colombia and Ecuador have significantly hampered electricity provided by hydropower.
• This has led Ecuador to claim a state of emergency and institute power cuts. 
• Hydropower gives over 80% of electricity requirements in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia — many of which are also suffering from severe droughts.

What is Hydropower?

• Hydropower, or hydroelectric energy, is one of the oldest and biggest sources of renewable strength, which uses the herbal flow of transferring water to generate energy. 
• Hydropower currently generates more electricity than all other renewable technology combined and is expected to remain the world’s largest source of renewable energy generation into the 2030s.
• Classification of Hydro Projects based on Installed Capacity: 
  • Micro: upto 100 KW
  • Mini: 101KW to 2 MW
  • Small: 2 MW to 25 MW
  • Mega: Hydro project with established potential >= 500 MW
• India: In 2022-23, hydropower accounted for 12.5 percent of energy generation in India. India had about 4745.6 MW pumped storage capacity in operation in 2023.
• The hilly States of India in particular Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand constitute around half of this capacity. 
• Other capacity States are Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Significance of Hydro Power

• Renewable Energy Source: Hydropower is a renewable power supply as it is based on the water cycle, that’s constantly replenished by rainfall and snowmelt.
  • This makes it a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels that are finite and contribute to climate change by greenhouse gas emissions.
• Clean Energy: Hydropower produces minimum greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels, making it an environmentally friendly option for generating electricity.
• Reliable and Predictable: Unlike solar and wind power, which are intermittent and depending on weather conditions, hydropower affords a regular and reliable source of power.
• Flexible and Controllable: Hydropower plants can quickly modify their output to in shape adjustments in electricity demand.
• Multipurpose Use: Hydropower projects often serve a couple of functions beyond power technology.
  • They can provide flood control by regulating water waft, irrigation for agriculture, water supply for communities, and recreational opportunities along with boating and fishing.
• Long Lifespan: Hydropower infrastructure, consisting of dams and turbines, may have long lifespans, regularly exceeding 50 years with right protection. This durability ensures a stable and enduring source of energy for an extended period of time.

Challenges 

• Environmental Impact: Large-scale hydropower initiatives frequently require damming rivers, which change ecosystems, disrupt fish habitats, and affect nearby biodiversity.
  • It also ends in problems like sediment buildup and water temperature modifications downstream, affecting aquatic life.
• Social Impacts: Building dams and reservoirs displace communities and disrupt livelihoods, especially the ones counting on the affected rivers for fishing or agriculture. 
• High Initial Costs: Constructing hydropower centers includes good sized in advance funding expenses. 
• Climate Change Vulnerability: Hydropower technology is based on strong water flow, which may be suffering from climate change-brought on variations in precipitation patterns and glacial melt. 
  • A UK based think tank discovered that the drought — probably exacerbated by weather alternate — drove an 8.5% drop in hydroelectricity around the world over the last years.
• Sedimentation: Dams trap sediment flowing downstream, main to reservoirs regularly filling up with sediment through the years.
  • This reduces the reservoir’s capacity and affects the performance and lifespan of the hydropower facility.
• Maintenance Challenges: Hydropower infrastructure requires regular upkeep to ensure secure and efficient operation. 

Way Ahead

• The solution for the country is to diversify their electricity assets by incorporating different renewable technologies — including wind and solar — into their energy mix.
• Innovations around putting floating solar panels at the water’s floor in hydropower flowers — as countries such China and Brazil are exploring — have extensive capacity.
• Building greater medium scale flora, in place of the mega dams of the past, could assist mitigate the climate-risks related to overdependence on one huge piece of infrastructure.
• Without important coverage adjustments, worldwide hydropower growth is expected to slow down this decade.

Source: The Indian Express

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Analyse the potential of hydroelectric power in meeting world’s electricity demands? What are the associated concerns regarding hydro power generation?

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