I think we can all agree, our energy choices are not efficient, and not sustainable. Energy is often seen as the driving force of the human enterprise. If we have enough energy we can do anything we want, like clean up the environment, irrigate deserts, build fast transportation networks, or even power highly productive greenhouses. Some believe it won’t be long before we develop unlimited energy sources. I am having trouble believing this. If we really had enough, would we use it for good, or would we use it to fulfill selfish needs. Have we developed unlimited energy sources?
Renewables are the answer, but are they enough? Brown asks “Can we expand renewable energy use fast enough? We think so” due to increases in technology increases in renewable energy should follow suit. However, “restructuring of the energy economy will be driven also by the realization that the fate of our global civilization may depend not only on but doing so at wartime speed” (2008).
Dams provide us with a great technology to use water as a resource to generate power. Hydroelectric power is historically important and has future potential due to low production costs, reliability, flexibility to meet both ongoing base electricity needs and peak demands, and relies on water as an indigenous, renewable resource(1). Ontario Power Generation (OPG) operates 65 hydroelectric stations, including 29 small hydroelectric plants, and 240 dams on 24 river systems (1). The smallest station generates just one megawatt (MW); and the largest more than 1,400 MW (1).
The construction of dams has to abide by the Fisheries Act, as they can cause Harmful Alteration Disruption or Degradation of Fish Habitat (HADD) (2). If a dam site is approved, and has no net loss of habitat then it should be environmentally safe to proceed with a dam. Even if a dam disrupts fish migration a fish ladder can be installed. Dams have huge potential, and must be continued.
Hydropower alone is not enough power, but “if the interest in tidal and wave power continues to escalate, the additional capacity from hydro, tidal and wave by 2020 could easily exceed the 500 gigawatts needed to reach the Plan B goal.” (Brown, 2008).
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