Cost to develop a site for hydroelectric production
- Development costs range depending on the condition of the site, as well as the type of facility being constructed.
- The main investments center on the engineering, equipment and the turbine.
- The electrical generator constitutes less than 5% of the total cost of a power plant.
- The power house, dam, water intake, gates, as well as acquisition of land, planning, and authorization all contribute to the initial investment.
- Typically, the costs relating to structural works (ie. the dam) are 40 to 50% of the overall expenses.
- Mechanical components such as the turbines are about 20-25% for larger plants and approximately 30% for smaller stations.
- An approximate 5-10% is consumed by the electrical installations.
- New costs for ecological compensation, like adding fish ladders, can lead to significant increases in costs.
- As with other renewable energy sources, the up front costs dominate, while the operation stage provides the savings.
- The main reason for this is the elimination of purchasing expensive fuel. The annual operation costs are roughly 1-4% of the overall investment.
Cost of generating 500 kWh of hydropower
- If the estimated cost of a power plant is $10,000,000, then the estimted cost of the components to build the hydropower plant are as follows:
- Generator - $500,000 (i.e., 5% of the total cost of a hydropower plant)
- Structural work such as the dam - $4,500,000 (i.e., 45% of the overall expenses)
- Mechanical components such as the turbines - $2,250,000 (i.e., 22.5% of the total cost of a power plant)
- Electrical installations - $750,000 (i.e., 7.5% of the total cost of a power plant)
- Remaining $2,000,000 is used for power house, water intake, gates, acquisition of land, planning and authorization, and ecological compensation (such as fish ladders etc.)
- Additionally, the annual operation costs are $250,000 (2.5% of the overall investment)
Funding
- During the initial stage of building the hydropower plant, the government will fund the project by giving us a quarter of the taxes, as the remaining of the three quarters of the taxes goes to the other public services like healthcare, social services, transportation etc.
Cost of 1 kWh energy from different sources
Hydroelectricity is 12 cents
Wind energy is 8.2 cents
Geothermal energy is 8 cents
Solar energy is 7 cents
Tidal energy is 6.5 cents
Wave energy is 7.5 cents
Biomass is 15 cents
Cost of electricity consumption
The average cost for a house of 4 members is $92
The average daily consumption of electricity in Canada is 32 kWh and the average cost is 12 cents per kWh.
Therefore, the daily, monthly and yearly cost of electricity consumptions are as follows:
Daily - $3.84 (32 kWh x 0.12 cents)
Monthly - $119.04 ($3.84 daily cost x 31 days)
Yearly - $1,428.48 ($119.04 monthly cost x 12 months)
Cons of other energies
Wind:
- Development costs range depending on the condition of the site, as well as the type of facility being constructed.
- The main investments center on the engineering, equipment and the turbine.
- The electrical generator constitutes less than 5% of the total cost of a power plant.
- The power house, dam, water intake, gates, as well as acquisition of land, planning, and authorization all contribute to the initial investment.
- Typically, the costs relating to structural works (ie. the dam) are 40 to 50% of the overall expenses.
- Mechanical components such as the turbines are about 20-25% for larger plants and approximately 30% for smaller stations.
- An approximate 5-10% is consumed by the electrical installations.
- New costs for ecological compensation, like adding fish ladders, can lead to significant increases in costs.
- As with other renewable energy sources, the up front costs dominate, while the operation stage provides the savings.
- The main reason for this is the elimination of purchasing expensive fuel. The annual operation costs are roughly 1-4% of the overall investment.
Cost of generating 500 kWh of hydropower
- If the estimated cost of a power plant is $10,000,000, then the estimted cost of the components to build the hydropower plant are as follows:
- Generator - $500,000 (i.e., 5% of the total cost of a hydropower plant)
- Structural work such as the dam - $4,500,000 (i.e., 45% of the overall expenses)
- Mechanical components such as the turbines - $2,250,000 (i.e., 22.5% of the total cost of a power plant)
- Electrical installations - $750,000 (i.e., 7.5% of the total cost of a power plant)
- Remaining $2,000,000 is used for power house, water intake, gates, acquisition of land, planning and authorization, and ecological compensation (such as fish ladders etc.)
- Additionally, the annual operation costs are $250,000 (2.5% of the overall investment)
Funding
- During the initial stage of building the hydropower plant, the government will fund the project by giving us a quarter of the taxes, as the remaining of the three quarters of the taxes goes to the other public services like healthcare, social services, transportation etc.
Cost of 1 kWh energy from different sources
Hydroelectricity is 12 cents
Wind energy is 8.2 cents
Geothermal energy is 8 cents
Solar energy is 7 cents
Tidal energy is 6.5 cents
Wave energy is 7.5 cents
Biomass is 15 cents
Cost of electricity consumption
The average cost for a house of 4 members is $92
The average daily consumption of electricity in Canada is 32 kWh and the average cost is 12 cents per kWh.
Therefore, the daily, monthly and yearly cost of electricity consumptions are as follows:
Daily - $3.84 (32 kWh x 0.12 cents)
Monthly - $119.04 ($3.84 daily cost x 31 days)
Yearly - $1,428.48 ($119.04 monthly cost x 12 months)
Cons of other energies
Wind:
- Wind turbines don't produce amtospheric emission that can cause acid rains and greenhouse gases.
- Good wind sites are useally far from the city or place that needs electrcity.
- Wind turbines affect the birds , for example many birds have died by flying into the wind turbine blades.
- Electrcity is still needed to operate heat pumps.
- Geothermal uses wells which requires incredible usage of water
- Geothermal power plants can cause extreme earthquakes
- Solar panels can only power electricity when the sun is there
- Solar power sometimes associated with pollution because the manufactures are associated with greenhouse gases emission
- Solar energy has to require a lot of space
- Scientist are not sure but they determine that Tidal energy effects the environment
- Tidal energy always has to be near land while operating
- Tidal energy is very expensive
- Wave energy has some enviromental effects
- Wave energy is costly
- Wave energy is only suitable on certain locations
- Biomass is not clean energy when it is burned
- Since wood is the major material for biomass, it can lead to deforestation
- Biomass requires a lots of space