HYDROELECTRIC

POWER
GARGI BANERJEE
Roll No.: 199
UID No.: 132664
Department of Microbiology,
St. Xaviers College (Autonomous)
Mumbai.

Hydroelectric Power
Globally and nationally, the most widely used form of
renewable energy.
Early beginning: Mid-1770s, French engineer Bernard
Forest de Belidor, Architecture Hydraulique describing
vertical-and-horizontal axis hydraulic machines.
1st hydroelectric powerplant: In 1878, Cragside,
England by William Armstrong.
Largest dam: Three Gorges Dam, R. Yangtze, China,
proposed capacity: 18.2 GW/per year.

Largest Dam in India: Bhakhra Nangal

Height:226 meters
Length:520 meters
Type:Concrete gravity
ReservoirCapacity:7,501,775 acreft
River:Sutlej River
Location:Punjab and
Himachal Pradesh
Installed capacity: 1325 MW

Mojor dams in India

DAM

RIVER

STATE

INSTALLE
D
CAPACITY

Tehri Dam

Bhagirathi

Uttarakhand

1000 MW

Sardar Samovar/Narmada
Dam

Narmada

Gujrat

1450 MW

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

Krishna

Andhra Pradesh

816 MW

Hirakud Dam

Mahanadi

Odisha

307.5 MW

Indirasagar Dam

Narmada

Madhya Pradesh

1000 MW

Hydroelectric Power
Waters kinetic energy ->
Electrical Energy
Kineti
cs
Water from reservoir
falls onto turbine due
to gravity.

Mechanic
al

Water drives the

turbine. Turbine is
connected to a
generator.

Electroni
cal
Generator produces
electrical energy,
which, is passed on to
power lines for
supply.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric Power
Presently, India uses only 27.6% of its actual
hydropower potential, roughly 40,195 MW.
Energy production from hydropower has increased
from 18% in 1970 to 45% in 2013.
Mini-hydropower projects in rural India an effective
method of flood control and irrigation.
A lot of research and educational improvements have
also come up to help this energy flourish.

Hydroelectric Power

Narmada Bachao Andolan ( NBA)

Social activists movement opposing faulty dams built
over R. Narmada in Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra in 1989.
Involvement:
Medha Patkar, Aamir Khan, Arundhati Roy, Baba Amte.
Medha Patkar:22 day fast, World Bank withdrawal of
loan, Morse Commision (UN).
Courts verdict: in favor of construction of dam,
NBA to monitor humane and environmental aspects of
ongoing work.

Tehri Dam, Uttarakhand

Located in the Terai region: damage to fragile
ecosystem.
Built on the Central Himalayan Gap, a major
geological fault zone.
If an earthquake of 8.5 magnitude were to occur, the
dam would break, cause flooding and damage to
biodiversity, human life and crop land.
Reduced flow rate of R. Bhagirathi: 1000 cu ft/s to
200cu ft/s.
Rehabilitation of 10,000 people.

Teesta Project
R. Teesta flows through West Bengal, India to
Bangladesh.
Teesta Dam : 510 MW generating capacity and
regulates flood control.
Bone of Contentment: Upstream/India gets good water
supply whereas Downstream/Bangladesh gets a
meager flow.
Conflict over water sharing between the 2 nations
when WB CM Mamata Banerjee refused to accept the
previous agreement, due to scarcity in the state
during summers.

Kerala-Tamil Nadu Water Sharing Issues

Dam on River Kaveri, Karnataka:
Water insufficient for Kerala, lifeline for rain shadow
area in Tamil Nadu.
- Struggle continues still, ever since 1910, despite
several rulings.
Mullaperiyar Dam, Periyar, Kerala:
- Dam constructed on R. Periyar, the sole water source
in Periyar Tiger Reserve.
- Old Dam, leaky joints, cracks, may cause flooding.
- Interstate Dispute: Kerala-Tamil Nadu

Limitations
Habitat loss of biodiversity.
Large areas of land is utilised- Cropland, forest land,
river basins.
Uprooting of local villages to make space for the dam.
Loss of livelihood.
Flooding of previously dry land.
Cost of construction and maintenance of a dam is
high.
Water flow distribution issues upstream-downstream.
May create conflict in neighboring states for water.

Advantages
Environmental Benefits
- Renewable source of energy.
- No operational greenhouse emissions
- Savings (Kg of COx per MWh of electricity)
- Coal 1000kg
- Oil 800kg
- Gas 400kg
- No Pollutants: SOx or NOx

Advantages
Economic Benefits:
- Construction costs for a dam are high but the
turnover, over a long time is cheaper as compared to
fossil fuels or nuclear power.
- Self Sufficiency: Less dependence on oil import.
- Controllable energy: The electricity produced can be
controlled by varying the flow rate. Hence, supply is
met as per demand.

Advantages

Non-environmental Benefits:
Irrigation
Tourism (recreational facilities)
Fisheries
Flood Control
Transportation

References

www.walkthroughindia.com
http://www.tc.umn.edu/
www.indianenvironmentalportal.org.in