Hydropower and the Hydrologic Cycle

The article on the New York Times website titled Hydroelectric Power is a great short article that sort of summarizes the main focuses of hydroelectric power production. I most appreciate the description of hydropower from the United States Department of Energy, “Water constantly moves through a vast global cycle, evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow, then flowing back down to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain.” This description is great because it relates the production of hydroelectric power to the natural water cycles of the earth. It really drives the idea of hydroelectric power being a natural and renewable source of energy. The biggest concern with the Greybull hydroelectric facility is the cost of the project. The best way to offset the large cost is to relate the construction of the facility to the ongoing battle to change the world’s reliance on oil. With more and more renewable energy sources being developed and constructed, the environment will become a cleaner and more self reliant system.

The article can be found at http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/business/energy-environment/hydroelectric-power/index.html.