Benefits and Drawbacks of Wind and Hydroelectric Power by Richard Xu (G8) Benefits and Drawbacks of Wind and Hydroelectric Power By Richard Xu Grade 8 Did you know that wind and rain could create electricity? Imagine a windy, rainy day. That same water and wind can power an entire town from hydroelectric and wind power! Both are clean sources of energy that do not create any pollution or greenhouse gases. They use natural resources to produce energy. This article highlights and explains the advantages and disadvantages of both wind and hydroelectric power. For starters, wind power uses wind turbines that take wind and use it to generate electricity. For example, wind power uses water and takes it in to spin a turbine, which produces energy for a generator. For instance, according to Zahler, “Blades are mounted around a turning part called a rotor, which is connected to a part called a shaft. When the blades catch wind, they turn. This spins the shaft. The shaft is connected to a generator, which turns the energy from the movement of the shaft into current electricity”. This reveals that when the blade of a wind turbine spins, it spins the shaft, which is connected to a generator. The generator then turns the movement from the shaft and turns it into electricity. This reveals how a wind turbine works. The United States Geological Survey also declares, “The dam stores lots of water behind it in the reservoir. Near the bottom of the dam wall there is a water intake called a penstock. Gravity causes the water to fall through the penstock inside the dam. At the end of the penstock, there is a turbine propeller, which is turned by the moving water. The shaft from the turbine goes up into the generator, which produces the power”. This demonstrates that a dam holds water behind its reservoir, there is a penstock, which is the intake and gravity causes water to go through, the water that goes through spins the propeller and the shaft, which is connected to a generator that generates power. This shows why a dam holds water. Furthermore, wind power produces energy that does not contribute to pollution. Moreover, hydroelectric power provides energy efficiently during high demand. For instance, based on (Zahler, 45) it says, “Wind farms produce large quantities of clean energy. What do we mean by “clean” energy? Clean energy does not create pollution or greenhouse gases that can contribute to climate change”. To put it another way, energy from wind farms is clean, so it does not create pollution. This shows how wind power produces energy that doesn’t contribute to pollution. (United States Geological Survey, 43) also mentions, “Pumped storage is a method of keeping water in reserve for peak periods of power demand. Pumps move water that had already flowed through the turbines back up to a storage pool above the power plant. That happens when customer demand for energy is low, such as during the middle of the night. The water is then allowed to flow back through the turbine generators when electricity demand is high”. In simpler terms, hydroelectric dams reuse water using “pumped storage” in order to supply energy during periods of high demand. This is how hydroelectric power provides energy efficiently. On the other hand, wind turbines produce noise pollution, obstruct the view, and pose a danger to flying animals. For instance, hydroelectric plants pose a danger to local marine life. Such as (Zahler, 47), it conveys, “Turbines do create one kind of pollution: noise pollution”. It also says, “Some critics believe that wind turbines are ugly and ruin the landscape”. Additionally, it says, “And turbines have been responsible for the deaths of birds and bats that fly into them.” To put it another way, wind turbines cause noise pollution, are ugly, and cause the deaths of flying animals. This proves that wind turbines are noisy and obstruct the view. Besides, according to (Davis 2024), it states, “Damming a river creates a reservoir, which inevitably disrupts the local ecosystem. Fish migration routes can be blocked, leading to devastating populations like the Chinook Salmon in the Klamath River on the Oregon-California border. Wildlife habitats are impacted as water flow, temperature, quality and sedimentation patterns change.” Basically, when a river is dammed, the reservoir disrupts the local ecosystem, changes the wildlife, and changes the behavior of animals and the geography. This is how hydroelectric plants pose a danger for local marine life. Hydroelectric power and wind power are clean sources of energy that do not cause climate change. Both energy sources use nature to produce energy. Still, wind farms can create noise pollution, obstruct the view, and be a hazard to flying animals. Hydroelectric power can also disrupt ecosystems nearby. Hydroelectric and wind power both have benefits and drawbacks. How has hydroelectric and wind power affected your life?
