ABSTRACT

Hydroelectricity has many advantages (such as no “fuel” costs and the fact that it is essentially pollution free). While the actual electricity generation itself-water owing through a turbine connected to a generator-is very clean, the impact of dams on ecosystems is now of great concern. Wind energy shares many of the advantages of hydro and is becoming an increasingly cost-effective and reliable source of energy. Yet another energy source meets the criteria set out above: solar energy. Solar energy shares many of the advantages of hydropower: there is no cost for the “fuel,” it is certainly inexhaustible, and there is virtually no pollution. In addition, solar energy can be used in any area of abundant sunshine, whereas hydropower is restricted to sites where there are water sources. It can be used by any country or any region, eliminating many of the geopolitical issues concerned with unevenly distributed resources such as petroleum.