✔ Hydropower has been around for over 2,000 years
✔ Hydropower only accounts for 2.1% of UK renewable energy sources
✔ Hydropower plants aren’t always green
As countries continue to work towards their net-zero-emission goals, governments are pushing for more renewable capacity, which includes creating a wider range of green energy sources to rely on.
The primary sources of renewable energy in the UK are offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar power – but what about hydropower?
Although hydropower is the fourth-largest renewable energy source in the UK, it only accounts for 2.1% of the country’s overall renewable energy mix (National Grid, 2022).
There’s a lot to know about hydropower. We’ll take you through everything in this article, from what it actually is and how it works, to whether it has a place in the UK’s future energy scene.
Hydropower – also known as hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity – harnesses energy from the natural flow of moving water, which can then be used to generate electricity.
This is one of the oldest sources of renewable energy, dating back thousands of years. National Geographic even states that people in Greece used flowing water to turn the wheel of their mill over two thousand years ago, which was used to ground wheat into flour.
Generally, a hydroelectric power plant has a reservoir of water, and a gate or valve that controls how much water flows out of the reservoir.
Water gains energy when it spills over the top of the dam, which is then converted into kinetic energy as it flows downhill. The water is then used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity.
However, the process of creating energy from hydropower varies depending on the type of system used – we’ve listed the three most common below:
For most countries around the world, hydropower is a cheap way of generating electricity. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) states that hydropower “has historically provided the backbone of low-cost electricity in a significant number of countries”.
But the cost of hydropower projects can vary, mainly depending on the scale of the undertaking.
Check out the table below to get a better idea of how much the average hydropower project costs per kilowatt (kW) installed.
10 MW
£18,350,000
50 MW
£91,750,000
100 MW
£183,500,000
250 MW
£458,750,000
Based on Statista’s estimate that hydropower installation cost £1,835 per kW in 2021
These figures might not seem very “cheap”, but are reasonable compared to oil and gas refinery projects.
The UK government spent £1.4 billion on gas and oil projects in the tax year 2021/2022 alone – and this level of investment will continue each year that we use fossil fuels.
We also need to take hydropower operating costs into account, which also vary depending on the size of the system and the type of turbine used in the process.
Generally, hydropower systems are reliable, with debris removal being the biggest maintenance task.
You can find the average operational costs for different hydropower systems in the table below.
Maximum power output
Estimated annual operational costs
5 kW
£2,200
25 kW
£4,000
50 kW
£6,300
100 kW
£11,000
250 kW
£25,000
500 kW
£48,300
Hydropower only accounts for 2.1% of UK renewable energy sources, which has been the case since 2000. However, the UK is actually home to 1,561 hydropower plants – a fivefold increase since 2003.
Despite this development, other renewables, such as wind and solar power, have received much more funding from the UK government, which is why hydropower still only accounts for a fraction of the overall renewable mix.
Most of the UK’s installed hydropower capacity is located in Wales and northwest Scotland – this is because their wet and mountainous landscapes are ideal for hydropower production.
Moving forward, global hydropower capacity is predicted to grow. Rystad Energy, an independent energy research company, reported that hydropower capacity is set to exceed 1,200 gigawatts (GW) in 2022, whilst investments climb to £30 billion ($36.3 billion).
However, Hydropower.org suggests that expansion in the UK will probably be limited to small-scale projects, with the exception of pumped-storage systems.
Small-scale hydropower systems generate between 1 MW–10 MW of electricity. Unlike large-scale hydropower systems, small-scale projects can be installed in small rivers, streams, or in drinking water or wastewater networks – with minimal environmental impact on wildlife or ecosystems.
One of the advantages of small-scale hydropower systems is that most of them are run-of-river schemes, or are implemented in existing water infrastructure, which means there isn’t as much construction work needed. Not only does this keep the cost down, but it also means there’s less of an impact on the local environment.
But it doesn’t just come down to small and large hydropower plants – there are other sizes too:
Pico
<5 kW
1–2 houses
Micro
5 – 100 kW
Small isolated communities
Mini
100 kW – 1 MW
Small factory or isolated communities
Small
1 – 10 MW
Small communities with the possibility to supply electricity to the regional grid
Medium
10 – 100 MW
Medium urban population centres
Large
>100 MW
Large urban population centres
Clean energy
Negative environmental impact
Cheaper than fossil fuels
Upfront cost
Good for going off-grid
It isn’t 100% green
Can be produced domestically
Temperamental with weather
Hydropower certainly has a place in the UK energy scene – but it won’t be as substantial as solar and wind power.
The government’s ten-point plan, which outlines how it will be investing in renewable energy over the course of the next decade, has a heavy focus on wind and solar energy. Hydropower, on the other hand, doesn’t even get a mention.
So it’s likely that hydropower will continue supplying energy in the UK, but only a fraction of the amount that wind and solar power produce.
Despite being the earliest example of renewable energy generation in human history, hydropower isn’t as popular as some other clean energy sources in the UK.
But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Despite being able to produce clean energy, some hydropower facilities do more harm than good – especially when it comes to impacting the local wildlife. If the UK does eventually ramp up its hydropower capacity, it’s worth considering how we can do it in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
玻璃钢生产厂家遵义玻璃钢雕塑制作渭南玻璃钢雕塑红桥玻璃钢花盆花器珠海贴马赛克玻璃钢雕塑很好的玻璃钢仿铜雕塑商场美陈面条的摆法玻璃钢雕塑 酒杯 爵淄博小区玻璃钢雕塑厂家玻璃钢蚂蚁雕塑价位园艺园林玻璃钢雕塑昭通市玻璃钢雕塑价格吉林步行街玻璃钢雕塑优势2017商场美陈招标玻璃钢卡通动漫雕塑定制陕西玻璃钢雕塑销售厂家阳江动物雕塑玻璃钢图片开封佛像玻璃钢仿铜雕塑厂家昌平玻璃钢雕塑工程延边玻璃钢雕塑制作厂家深圳玻璃钢花盆供应寿光玻璃钢仿铜农耕人物雕塑玻璃钢雕塑金牛衢州玻璃钢雕塑价格如何计算佛山仿铜玻璃钢人物雕塑玻璃钢大白兔雕塑卡通福建艺术商场美陈生产厂家玻璃钢白雪公主雕塑加工古代玻璃钢雕塑厂家现货玻璃钢雕塑超级飞侠座椅合肥动物玻璃钢雕塑制作香港通过《维护国家安全条例》两大学生合买彩票中奖一人不认账让美丽中国“从细节出发”19岁小伙救下5人后溺亡 多方发声单亲妈妈陷入热恋 14岁儿子报警汪小菲曝离婚始末遭遇山火的松茸之乡雅江山火三名扑火人员牺牲系谣言何赛飞追着代拍打萧美琴窜访捷克 外交部回应卫健委通报少年有偿捐血浆16次猝死手机成瘾是影响睡眠质量重要因素高校汽车撞人致3死16伤 司机系学生315晚会后胖东来又人满为患了小米汽车超级工厂正式揭幕中国拥有亿元资产的家庭达13.3万户周杰伦一审败诉网易男孩8年未见母亲被告知被遗忘许家印被限制高消费饲养员用铁锨驱打大熊猫被辞退男子被猫抓伤后确诊“猫抓病”特朗普无法缴纳4.54亿美元罚金倪萍分享减重40斤方法联合利华开始重组张家界的山上“长”满了韩国人?张立群任西安交通大学校长杨倩无缘巴黎奥运“重生之我在北大当嫡校长”黑马情侣提车了专访95后高颜值猪保姆考生莫言也上北大硕士复试名单了网友洛杉矶偶遇贾玲专家建议不必谈骨泥色变沉迷短剧的人就像掉进了杀猪盘奥巴马现身唐宁街 黑色着装引猜测七年后宇文玥被薅头发捞上岸事业单位女子向同事水杯投不明物质凯特王妃现身!外出购物视频曝光河南驻马店通报西平中学跳楼事件王树国卸任西安交大校长 师生送别恒大被罚41.75亿到底怎么缴男子被流浪猫绊倒 投喂者赔24万房客欠租失踪 房东直发愁西双版纳热带植物园回应蜉蝣大爆发钱人豪晒法院裁定实锤抄袭外国人感慨凌晨的中国很安全胖东来员工每周单休无小长假白宫:哈马斯三号人物被杀测试车高速逃费 小米:已补缴老人退休金被冒领16年 金额超20万
玻璃钢生产厂家 XML地图 TXT地图 虚拟主机 SEO 网站制作 网站优化