What form of energy is more efficient : Hydropower or Wind Power?

Question

I need to know what form of energy is the most efficient and best for the environment. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Answer 1

Effeciency is actually a measure of power produced from available power. While it is nice to maximize this, it is more appropriate to look at efficiency when one is buying fuel.

Perhaps the question should be "what is the better investment of capital, hydroelectric power or Wind Power."

The answer to this would vary considerably for both of these power sources. The cost of a Dam is going to be specific to the location. One Dam could cost 5 times another. The electric yield will also vary by Dam. The height of the dam and the anticipated flow of the water will both factor into the electrical yield. It is so individual to the location that no generalized statement can be made.

The location of the wind generator is extremely important. A constant, or almost constant source of wind is necessary to power a wind generator. The average wind velocity, at an area will figure into the yield of electricity. This again makes it hard to generalize in a comparison.

One must also trade off the undesirable affects of each form of energy. Dams create large bodies of water, and can also destroy what would otherwise be a possible national treasure. Dams can and do also fail, potentially causing loss of life and destruction downstream. While I enjoy the looks of wind power, others think it's an eyesore. There is also the concern of migrating birds being killed by flying into the generators.

Yet it has become obvious in the last 5 years that energy independence is a valid and important national security issue.

As with everything in life, nothing is free and you have to trade off the costs vs the benefits. In my own personal values system wind power looks like a significant means of achieving a lower dependence on foreign oil. It is virtually untapped. Hydroelectric power has fewer additional opportunities as many have already been tapped.

Answer 2

As far as efficiency, hydro power is the most efficient as the available energy is converted into power. Wind power is also dependent on available winds so it comes and goes with the weather. Hydro power is available at design levels as long as there is water in the dam to drive it.
Hydro power is not that environmentally friendly. Other forms of power generation are more environmentally friendly but not nearly as convenient.

Answer 3

If you are talking about more efficient to produce, wind power is the cheapest by far and has less impact on the surrounding areas. Hydro power requires a lot of construction and has a greater impact on everything near by. As a clean source of energy, wind power is the cleanest, then hydro and coal burning power is the dirtiest by far. Now nucular power is clean but until they get it safe, I am not a fan.

Answer 4

Hydro Power is technically the most efficient because of the advantages of scale when they put in the big turbo generators. Plus the lake created to build a hydro plant has plenty of uses for both recreation, flood control and irrigation.

Advocates of wind power fail to point out the amount of new real estate that will have to be set aside to erect all of the turbines they want to build...there is a rough equivalence in land necessary to erect them compared to the populated area they would serve. In other words, it takes a village of windmill towers to power a village of people, and I'm sure you remember the big stink they raised in Cape Cod over the prospect of having to look at them from their beachfront homes.

Answer 5

where there is the best source of flowing water hydro power is the best option.Otherwise Wind Power is most efficient. As far as there is the q of best for the environment i think both are equally good.

Answer 6

It all depens on the site...

It is impossible to answer as a whole, a cost-benefit analysis is needed depending on the site.

Hydro can convert up to 95% of the kinetic energy... Wind only up to 45%...

Hydro can be more devastating for the nature. (email me for details or research).

And by the way, which hydro do you talk about ? Running hydro on rivers or hydro on reservoir ??? They dont have the same kind of supply because in one case you can´t turn on and off the tap, in the other case you can´t...

Answer 7

there's no "usual nuclear reactor", yet as quickly as we take a a million GW nuclear plant, it could generate approximately 8 terawatt-hours/year. A 2 hundred watt image voltaic panel can generate some million kilowatt- hour/day, or 365 kwh/year, so because it somewhat is approximately 21 million 2 hundred watt image voltaic panels. besides the undeniable fact that, the capacity output from the nuclear plant is controllable by potential of the operators, the place image voltaic panels basically function at complete output for some hours/day (on sparkling days - much less if there is cloud). hence, to check the two, you're able to desire to element in some style of capacity storage or backup that will boost the fee of the image voltaic installation (according to danger by potential of an element of two or extra). in spite of claims of image voltaic being extra value-effective than coal now, whilst one compares apples to apples (i. e. complete capacity produced, and controllability) image voltaic continues to be numerous circumstances extra costly than coal, and approximately two times as costly as nuclear even interior the U. S. A gram of U-235 could make usable capacity equivalent to 3 metric various coal. image voltaic capacity production has no unsafe by potential of-products, yet manufacture of the panels can contain some very unsafe factors like fluorine (for silicon panels) or cadmium (for CdTe panels). this could nicely be an element of the reason panel manufacture has long gone to Asia - they have fewer environmental rules and this is extra easy to do away with the byproducts of production. DK

Answer 8

Hydro is more efficient, but dams are not too environmentally friendly. An inline stream, or tidal system could be good.

Answer 9

Hydro power is likely to be more reliable.