Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?

QOD: Listen to the song by Woody Guthrie and read the lyrics. What is

this song about?

HydropowerPros and cons

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?

Aim: What are the pros and cons to generating

electricity from hydropower?

3

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower? Objectives

• SWBAT list and explain the pros and cons of hydroelectric power

3

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Pros1. Dams are relatively inexpensive to

operate.– Yet, they are very expensive to build.

2. Dams generate clean power– Hydropower is renewable and doesn’t emit

greenhouse gases or other air pollutants**What kinds of energy do you think were used to build this dam?

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Pros, continued

3. Dams improve quality of life– prevent flooding*, create jobs, and provide cheap

electricity, irrigation, and drinking water

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Cons1. Dams alter river habitats in many waysupstream: flooding

downstream: not enough water

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Cons, Continued2. Natural cycles are disrupted

- floodplains don’t receive nutrients from sediments because they get trapped behind dams

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Cons, Continued3. Temperature of the water is changed

aquatic populations go extinct

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?

Imagine you are a fish trying to get upstream of

the Hoover dam…

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?Cons, Continued

4. Dams prevent anadromous fish from laying eggs.

Fish ladder

No fish ladder!

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?What do you think: do the pros outweigh the cons?

12

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower? Modern Trends

• In the US, the era of large dam construction is probably over.– Not so in developing countries

(Brazil, China, India).

• Micro-hydropower :electricity produced in a small stream without having to build a big dam

12

13

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower? Micro-hydropower

• Much cheaper to build.• Can be used in remote areas1

3

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower? Dams and salmon 1. We will read the article about dams

and salmon together.

2. Discuss questions and answers.

Aim: What are the pros and cons of

hydropower? What are the pros and cons of

hydropower?

Should we use it?