{"id":11971,"date":"2025-05-14T16:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=11971"},"modified":"2025-05-14T16:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:26:17","slug":"hydro-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/hydro-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydro Energy, Working Model, Advantages, Disadvantages"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Hydro Energy<\/strong> is a <\/span><b>renewable source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of energy generated from flowing water. Hydro Energy is one of the <\/span><b>world\u2019s oldest and largest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> renewable energy sources. Hydro energy, also known as hydroelectric power, is generated by using the kinetic energy of flowing water to turn a turbine, which then spins a generator to produce electricity. Hydropower currently generates more electricity than all other renewable technologies combined and is expected to remain the world\u2019s largest source of renewable electricity generation into the 2030s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hydro energy capacity of India is 42 GW (2024), and it plans to increase it to 67 GW by 2031-32. Thus, there is a need to capitalize on the potential of Hydro Energy to create a sustainable future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Overview<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Hydro Energy<\/strong> is the energy generated by harnessing the flow of water through a turbine, which generates electricity as it spins. Hydro energy is a <\/span><b>clean source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of energy that relies on the <\/span><b>water cycle<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Hydro energy projects range from small-scale systems for homes to large-scale systems for entire regions or countries. Hydro Energy accounts for approximately 71% of total renewable electricity generation on Earth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12001\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Hydro-Energy-plant-with-main-components.webp\" alt=\"Hydro Energy plant with main components\" width=\"512\" height=\"370\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Plants<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Hydro Energy Plants<\/strong> are classified into different types based on factors such as water availability, power generation scale, and geographical conditions. The various types of Hydro Energy Plants based on net volume and flow of water include run-of-river, storage-based, pumped storage, and offshore hydro energy plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Run-of-River:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A <\/span><b>diversion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, also known as a \"run-of-river\" facility, is a project where a portion of a river is channeled through a canal or penstock to harness the natural decline of the river bed elevation for energy production. It may not require a dam for working.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examples include the Coo-Trois-Ponts plant in Belgium, the Khimti I project in Nepal, the <\/span><b>Kishanganga project<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in India.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12005\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Run-of-River-hydropower-plant.webp\" alt=\"Run of River hydropower plant\" width=\"512\" height=\"387\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Storage-based:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> An <\/span><b>impoundment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> facility, also known as \u201cstorage-based hydropower\u201d, is a large hydroelectric power plant that uses a dam to store river water in a reservoir. The water is then released through a turbine, spinning and generating electricity to meet various needs like flood control, recreation, fish passage, and environmental and water quality.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Example includes the <\/span><b>Koyna Hydroelectric<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Project(India), the Three Gorges Dam (China), and the Grand Coulee Dam (USA)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12006\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Storage-based-hydropower-plant.webp\" alt=\"Storage based hydropower plant\" width=\"512\" height=\"311\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Pumped Storage:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Pumped storage hydropower (PSH), also known as \u2018<\/span><b>the Water Battery<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2019, is a type of hydropower that stores electricity from other sources like solar, wind, and nuclear.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It works like a giant battery, pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper one. When demand is low, water is stored, and during high demand, it is released back to the lower reservoir, generating electricity.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Example includes the <\/span><b>Nagarjuna Sagar project <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(India) and the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station (China).<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12004\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Pumped-Storage-Hydropower.webp\" alt=\"Pumped Storage Hydropower\" width=\"512\" height=\"442\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Offshore hydropower:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It is a less established but growing group of technologies that generate electricity from seawater by harnessing tidal currents or wave energy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11999\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Classification-of-Hydro-Projects-based-on-Installed-Capacity.webp\" alt=\"Classification of Hydro Projects based on Installed Capacity\" width=\"512\" height=\"393\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Working Model<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Hydro Energy Power Plants work<\/strong> on the principle of converting the <\/span><b>kinetic energy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of flowing water<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">into electricity. The plants are generally located near the water sources. The water is elevated to a height and allowed to flow through a pipe called penstock. The water pushes against the blades of the <\/span><b>turbine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and spins them. The turbines then power a <\/span><b>generator<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which produces electricity. This is sent to the <\/span><b>electricity grid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for consumption.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12008\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/upsc-exam-wp-uploads\/2025\/05\/Working-of-Hydro-Energy-Plant.webp\" alt=\"Working of Hydro Energy Plant\" width=\"512\" height=\"239\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Advantages<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Hydro Energy has several advantages<\/strong> such as cost-effective nature, clean source of energy, tourism potential, flexibility, etc. The following are advantages of hydro energy:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Renewable Source:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydropower generates energy from the water cycle, which is powered by the sun, making it renewable.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cost-Effective:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydro Energy has minimal recurring costs and low long-term expenditure, making it cheaper than coal and gas-fired electricity.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/disaster-management-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Disaster management<\/b><\/a><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydropower offers numerous benefits beyond electricity generation, including flood control, irrigation support, and clean drinking water.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Flexible Supply:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydropower plants are crucial for providing backup power during electricity outages as they can swiftly adjust their output to meet demand.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Tourism potential:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Storage-based hydropower creates reservoirs for recreational activities such as fishing, swimming, and boating.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Disadvantages<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy has several disadvantages, such as impact on marine life, high upfront cost, drought, safety issues, etc. The disadvantages are discussed in detail below:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Impact on <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/environment\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Environment<\/b><\/a><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Building dams leads to the disruption of marine life and may affect the natural flow of the river, leading to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/floods\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">floods<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>High Initial Costs:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydropower plants have high upfront costs, which, when compared to the falling prices of solar installations, becomes a disadvantage.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Impact of Drought:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A drought can significantly decrease the capacity to generate electricity by limiting the flow of water into the plant.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Globally, hydropower output experienced a significant drop of 8.5% during the first half of 2023, primarily attributed to widespread droughts.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Safety issues:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hydropower plants can result in huge damage and loss of life in case of failure.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tiware Dam in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district was breached, flooding seven villages and sweeping away 20 people on July 2, 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cultural issues:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Large Hydropower Plant construction leads to the displacement of Indigenous people (tribes are most affected) who have a cultural and spiritual connection with the land, leading to conflict.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy Way Forward<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy is an efficient way to produce energy for a sustainable future. The solution lies in improved efficiency, energy decentralization, and continued investment in developing new plants along with technological developments. Hydro Energy, along with other sources such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/solar-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">solar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and wind energy, has the potential to meet global energy demand and reduce the global carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydro Energy UPSC PYQs<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><b>Q.1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation system to make its judicious use under the depleting scenario. <\/span><b>(UPSC Mains 2020)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q.2<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> What do you understand<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">by run<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of the river hydroelectricity project? How is it<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">different from<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any other hydroelectricity project? <\/span><b>(UPSC Mains 2013)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q.3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 Recently, the term \u201cpumped-storage hydropower\u201d is actually and appropriately discussed in the context of which one of the following? <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2024)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(a) Irrigation of terraced crop fields<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(b) Lift irrigation of cereal crops<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(c) Long duration energy storage<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(d) Rainwater harvesting system<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans. (c)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q.4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 With reference to \u2018Water Credit\u2019, consider the following statements: <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2021)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It puts microfinance tools to work in the water and sanitation sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is a global initiative launched under the aegis of the World Health Organization and the World Bank.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It aims to enable the poor people to meet their water needs without depending on subsidies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which of the statements given above are correct?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(a) 1 and 2 only\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(b) 2 and 3 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(c) 1 and 3 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(d) 1, 2 and 3\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans: (c)<\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hydro Energy is a renewable source of energy generated from flowing water. Check about Hydro Energy, Working Model, Advantages, Disadvantages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":11993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,38],"tags":[1271,40,1033],"class_list":{"0":"post-11971","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-economy-notes","8":"category-upsc-notes","9":"tag-hydro-energy","10":"tag-quest","11":"tag-upsc-economy-notes"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}