HYDROPOWER – A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION.
by
Ion Corbu¹

SUMMARY

Climate change is a global problem caused by excessive generation of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Although GHGs form naturally, intensive economically-driven human activities add significant quantities of additional GHGs to the atmosphere. These GHGs block the radiation from the sun from escaping back to space resulting in what is known as global warming. Scientists predict that global warming will result in detrimental impacts on human activities and in more frequent extreme weather events. Countries around the world have recognized the urgent need on reducing GHG emissions in order to address the climate change challenge. Many countries, including Canada, have committed to sustainable development, which is defined as development that meets the needs of the present society without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Hydropower is a major renewable energy resource that can play an increasingly important role in enabling countries around the world to fight global warming and meet sustainable objectives. As a clean, reliable, and flexible energy source, it has a key role in integrating energy systems. Within the above context, the paper provides: a) statistics on the importance of hydropower generation in the world and in Canada; b) a description of the many advantages of hydropower; and c) potential hydropower developments in Canada over the next 20 years. The paper is proposing Hydropower policy changes in Canada, and concludes by indicating a bright future for hydropower development in Canada.