Advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric energy and nuclear power energy

2011/2012

list five (3) advantages and three (3) disadvantages of a hydro power plant.

Answers
(1) Renewable: hydro-electric energy is renewable, that means hydro-electric energy can be generated again after been used up.

However, there’s only a limited number of suitable reservoirs where hydro-electric power plants can be built and even less places where such projects are profitable.
Pollution free: it is clean and good. There is no pollution at all.

(2) Reliable: it is very reliable because it has sufficient energy. A house, shop or industry can use once there is sufficient water in the dam.

(3) Flexible: hydro-electric power can be tapped or taken to different households or without difficulty and adjusting water flow and output of electricity is easy.
Safe: compared to among others, fossil fuel and nuclear energy, hydro-electricity is much safer.

Disadvantages
(1) It involves high capital cost due to construction of dam.
(2) There is uncertainty about the availability of huge amount of water due to dependence on weather condition.
(3) Skilled and experienced hands are required to build the plant.
(4) It requires high cost of transmission lines as the plants is located in hilly areas which are far away from the consumer.

Nuclear power station

(2) There are large deposits of nuclear fuels that can ensure the continuity of electrical energy for thousands of years are available all over the world.

(3) It can be located near the load centers because it does not require large quantities of water and need not be near coal mines. And therefore, the cost of primary distribution is reduced.

(4) This type of plant is very economical for producing bulk electric power.

(5) It has low running charges as a small amount of fuel is used for producing bulk electrical power.

(6) A nuclear power requires less space as compared to any other type of power station.

(7) The amount of fuel required is small.
Disadvantages
(1) The fission by-products are generally radioactive and may cause a dangerous amount of radioactive pollution.

(2) The erection and commissioning of the plant requires greater technical know-how.

(3)The capital cost on a nuclear plant is very high as compared to other type of plants.

(4) The fuel used is cost and is difficult to renew/recover.