Oil accounts for 40% of all energy use. (United States Geological Survey [USGS], 1998). Yet, before new oil can be discovered and extracted, the known reserves are depleting. About 6 billion barrels (Gb) of oil are discovered and 26Gb, which is four and half times as much, are consumed each year. (Fisker, 2006). Subsequently by 2015, about 100 million oil-equivalent barrels a day of new production have to be added into the industry to meet demand. With oil production declining at an average ratte of four to six percent a year, it is necessary to search for other sources of energy. (Thompson, 2003). Thus, scientists have been spending money to increase alternate energy sources like hydroelectric power. However, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative as it results in economical, environmental and social problems.
Economic problems will arise if hydroelectric power is to replace oil. Hydroelectric power dams are expensive to build. The high cost of construction means the dam must operate for decades to become profitable. One example is the Hoover Dam in United States of America. This dam costs 165 million dollars to build and it took 49 years to recover the cost. (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.; Moore, 1999). This caused the economy to run a deficit as the huge amount of money could have been invested in other areas to boost the economy. In contrast, an oil well costs about 35 to 50 million dollars to construct. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Thus, a shorter time is required to recover the cost of building an oil well. This minimizes the losses incurred by the economy. It is also difficult for hydroelectric power to replace the amount of energy oil can produce. The world consumes energy produced by oil at a rate of five trillion watts (TW) each year. (Fisker, 2006). A hydro turbine only generates two giga watts. To generate as much energy oil can produce, 2500 similar hydro turbines have to be installed. (Wikipedia, n.d.). However, this is costly. Monetary reserves will be depleted and the economy will suffer. Hence, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative to oil as its high cost and inefficiency will cause the country to incur huge losses.
The environmental consequences of hydroelectric power are equal to or more serious than oil. Building of dams requires valleys to be flooded. However, flooding of valleys disruptsthe surrounding aquatic ecosystem and threatens the habitats. Of 3000 to 4000 remaining endangered Siberian Cranes, 95% will be destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam. (Wikipedia, n.d.). This shows that flooding land to build a hydroelectric dam can greatly endanger wildlife.
In addition, generating hydroelectric power impacts downstream river environment. Water exiting from turbines usually contains very little suspended sediment, which can lead to scouring of river beds and loss of river banks. In addition, since turbines are opened intermittently, the daily or rapid fluctuations of river flow worsens the erosion of river banks. In The Grand Canyon, daily cycle flow variation caused by Glen Canyon Dam was found contributing to erosion of sand bars. Instead, dykes are built to prevent sea-water from entering the oil fields and to minimize erosion of coastal beds. (Bunnet, 2002). Generation of hydroelectric dams may thus wipe off the river bank and disrupt the ecosystem.
Furthermore, the reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants may produce methane and carbon dioxide from rotting vegetation. According to the World Commission on Dams report, most reservoirs emit higher greenhouse gases than power plants running on fossil fuels. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Phillip Fearnside from Brazil's National Institute for Research supports this claim. He estimates that in 1990, emission of greenhouse gases from the Curua-Una dam in Brazil was more than three-and-a-half times what would have been produced by generating the same amount of electricity from oil. (Graham-Rowe, 2005). Therefore, the green image of hydroelectric power as a benign alternative to fossil fuels is false. Hence, hydroelectric energy is not a feasible alternative as it poses a greaer threaten to the environment than energy from oil.
Many social problems will arise if hydroelectric power is used as an alternative to energy from oil. People living near the valley to be flooded must move out, businesses and farms will be lost; historical and cultural sites will be destroyed. One example is the Clyde Dam in New Zealand. The dam flooded many houses and orchards upstream in Cromwell, forcing residents to move out. It also damaged the scenic Cromwell Bridge, a highlight of the then young but growing tourism industry. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Consequently, the tourism industry was hit. Many people were hence unemployed. On the other hand, oil plants are usually built far away from residental areas. Thus, people will not be greatly affected. Instead, the building of oil plants creates employment for them. Therefore, hydroelectric energy is not a feasible alternative as it creates greater social problems than energy from oil.
However, many people feel that water is more accessible than oil due to its availibility. So, they think hydroelectric energy may be a feasible alternative to energy from oil. Nevertheless, water is becoming scarcer in certain places, and its availibility is a major social and economic concern. (Wikipedia, n.d.). An example is the Aswan Dam in Egypt. After generating the dam for 20 years, the lake was only 40% full. (Bunnet, 2002). Moreover, about 15% of the water from Lake Nasser, a river that links to the Aswan Dam, is lost every year through evaporation and water leakage from dams. (Kent National Grid for learning [Kent NGfl], n.d.). This may diminish the power of river flow, thus resultiing in less energy being generated. Hence, the availibility of water will affect the generation of energy. On the contrary, oil can still be discovered. As oil gets scarcer, people will try to get it from less accessible places, such as the North Sea. In addition, Shell's Mr Van de Veer argues that big oil companies will soon be manufacturing 'greener fossil fuels'. (Manivannan, 2006). These assure that the accessibility and availibility of oil does not affect the generation of energy. In brief, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative to oil energy.
Despite the fact that oil is running out, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative. The economy, environment and population have to pay a high cost for the construction and running of a dam. This will thus result in inefficiency within the country. Development of energy sources has been ongoing to provide abundant and accessible energy. Yet, future energy development faces a great challenge due to exhaustion of fossil fuel. Unless a suitable alternative is found, energy from oil can never be replaced.