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Originally Posted by aerohead
Is there an explanation for tearing down hydro? There's no discussion about it in the media,or articles about US energy policy addressing it.Any info would be welcome.
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There are many well meaning but underinformed groups speaking out against hydro dams. Some have even proposed to specifically state a con position in any official documents concerning a Green New Deal. Here is one. Just the first thing that came up on a search.
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https://www.americanrivers.org/threa...amaged-rivers/
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But people don't realize that big hydro is our best non-carbon power source. Dispatchable immense 24/7 power. In the mid future, big hydro electrical plants will be the most effective area to build big refineries such as Aluminum production since they will be the only locations with ready 24/7 power.
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I believe that we should use our remaining fossil energy wealth as "seed corn" to build out as much hydro, solar and wind (GenIV nuclear would have been nice if we would have continued it's development in the 80's. But now it is getting late) as possible. Along with terracing land for an eventual return to more local and muscle powered food production (crop yields will necessarily decline), building out electric rail so that we can still have efficient transportation and gravity electricity storage, building out super efficient new housing for some of the billion who will leave their "jobs" in the mega cities to "work" growing food, fuel wood, and fiber.
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Countries with the lowest CO2/ kWh emissions are either nuclear or hydro. ie Norway, Brazil, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Quebec, Sweden, France, Ontario.
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https://www.electricitymap.org/?page...rue&wind=false
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