What Are The Consequences Of Hydroelectricity? What Are The Benefits Of Hydroelectricity?

Some of the negative consequences is the potential loss of water flow and the natural environment that may be destroyed or diminished from the diversion of water from its natural path to the hydro-generating stations. In some instances the development of the hydro stations can actually stop the river and cease its existence. This is seen quite a bit especially in areas that have limited water that naturally occurs. Benefits include the low cost of power generation since the water is what does the work. The development of the generating station however is costly and most likely will encounter protest from ecologically-minded people as the natural habitat will be changed and a lot of natural species can as a direct result cease to exist. There are many cost-benefit issues surrounding the installation of a hydro-station from this perspective alone as the building and interruption of the natural environment is more encompassing that as an immediate thought will encompass. Another problem is that there needs to be water and a lot of it to generate power for a lot of users. Then is the water usable after the power generation? Is it contaminated? How about the environment that has depended on the water? While after the initial cost of the generation station is recouped it is a very efficient system with reasonable low generating costs the long-term effects and results of the station is not always determinable.