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| Questions about Hydroelectric power |
What is hydroelectric power?
How does it work?
How long has it been established in the UK?
How much does it contribute to the UK's energy supply at the moment?
Are there plans to increase the use of hydro-electric power?
Does it affect the environment?
| Answers about Hydroelectric Power |
What is hydroelectric power?
Hydroelectric power is the energy derived from flowing water in rivers, or from man-made installations where water flows from a high reservoir down through a tunnel.
How does it work?
Turbines placed within the flow of water produce mechanical energy which causes them to rotate at high speed, driving a generator that converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Hydroelectric systems can be connected to the main electricity grid, or as part of a stand-alone power system.
How long has it been established in the UK?
Water power has been used for centuries to power machinery. Using water to generate electricity is also well-established - Scottish Power's oldest hydro power station in Lanarkshire dates back to 1927.
How much does it contribute to the UK's energy supply at the moment?
The UK currently generates about 1.8 per cent of its electricity from large-scale hydroelectric schemes - most of which are found in the Scottish Highlands.
Are there plans to increase the use of hydro-electric power?
Opportunities to increase large-scale hydroelectric in the UK are limited as most commercially-attractive and environmentally-acceptable sites have already been utilised. However, there is increasing interest in smaller-scale schemes, for example two newly-approved schemes in Scotland at Kingairloch in Lochaber and Braevallich in Argyll, which will provide enough electricity to meet the demand of 5,250 households. In small, remote communities and rural industries there is interest in micro hydroelectric systems, which can directly provide a few tens of kW of electricity.
Does it affect the environment?
Noise and emissions are very low. Large-scale schemes can cause disruption during construction and, if flooding is involved, some carbon dioxide emissions from rotting vegetation in the short term. River ecology is protected through the Environment Agency, which requires all schemes to have an abstraction licence. Visual impact in the forms of eroded shorelines and dams can be regarded as negative, but many schemes also attract visitors and offer leisure opportunities.
Information supplied by the DTI 'It's only natural' campaign
Notes to editors:
About 'It's only natural'
The UK Government has committed to renewable energy by signing up to international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, which means we are now legally bound to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. In addition, it has also set targets that by 2010, 10 per cent of the UK's electricity will come from renewable energy and that the percentage will increase to 20 per cent by 2020.
Currently just 3.86 per cent of the UK's electricity comes from renewables, so there is a lot of work to be done. This document is part of our campaign to provide you with more information about renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, wave and tidal power and why they are so important to the UK, to help us meet our international commitments and enable us to become a more sustainable nation.
For more information contact:
Aby Billi or Victoria Stainton, Porter Novelli
Tel: 01295 224533 or 01295 224397
Email: Firstname.lastname@cpn.co.uk
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