So many people are not informed about fossil fuels, types of fuels and about their negative consequences. So I am going to explain to you about renewable sources of energy and hydropower and problems with dams and especially problems in Bosnia.
Fossil fuels are made from decomposing plants and animals. These fuels are found in the Earth’s crust and contain carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy. Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels. Basically, we can find fossil fuels everywhere but they are not convenient for producing energy.
What are cons of fossil fuels?
Nevertheless, fossil fuels have many disadvantages, starting with their limited existence. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the consumption of energy resources was 15,025 Mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) in the world in 2020, and could reach 17,387 Mtoe in 2035. Based on our current use, the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020 estimates that there is approximately :
- 139 years of coal reserves (about 1074 billion tons) ;
- 48.8 years of natural gas (188,100 billion tons) ;
- 53.5 years of oil (244.4 billion tons).
Fig 1: Oil rig
In addition, extraction, processing, transportation and combustion emit greenhouse gasses. On March 8, 2022, the International Energy Agency reported that fossil fuels were responsible for 36.3 billion tons of CO2 in 2021 – an all-time high. According to the latest, in order to limit warming to +1.5°C, it is imperative to stop coal mining, and to reduce oil and gas use by 60% and 70% by 2050 compared to 2019 levels.
It’s indisputable: at the present rate, fossil fuels do not allow the creation of a model for a sustainable society. Here are some other examples of disadvantages of fossil fuels:
· In the case of irresponsible use, they can be dangerous
· Water Pollution and Oil Spills
· Water Table Poisoning from Fracking
· Air Pollution and Smog
· Acid Rain
· Mercury Emission.
Renewable energy and their resources
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a timescale such as human life. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy sources are sustainable, some are not. For example, some biomass sources are considered unsustainable at current rates of exploitation.
Fig. 2: The logo motive: Let’s use more renewable energy.
Hydropower
Since water is about 800 times denser than air, even a slow flowing stream of water, or moderate sea swell, can yield considerable amounts of energy. Water can generate electricity with a conversion efficiency of about 90%, which is the highest rate in renewable energy.There are a lot of advantages of hydropower such as:
- Hydropower is a renewable source of energy. The energy generated through hydropower relies on the water cycle, which is driven by the sun, making it renewable.
- Hydropower is fueled by water, making it a clean source of energy.
- Hydroelectric power is a domestic source of energy, allowing each state to produce its own energy without being reliant on international fuel sources.
- Impoundment hydropower creates reservoirs that offer recreational opportunities such as fishing, swimming, and boating. Most hydropower installations are required to provide some public access to the reservoir to allow the public to take advantage of these opportunities.
- Hydroelectric power is flexible. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output. Because hydropower plants can generate power to the grid immediately, they provide essential backup power during major electricity outages or disruptions.
- Hydropower provides benefits beyond electricity generation by providing flood control, irrigation support, and clean drinking water.
Fig. 3: The river in St. Marienthal. Photographed by Kristina Vukelić.
- Hydropower is affordable. Hydropower provides low-cost electricity and durability over time compared to other sources of energy. Construction costs can even be mitigated by using preexisting structures such as bridges, tunnels, and dams.
- Hydropower complements other renewable energy sources. Technologies like pumped storage hydropower (PSH) store energy to use in tandem with renewables such as wind and solar power when demand is high.
Fig. 4: Mechanism of hydropower plants
Fig.5: On the left side – the view of the river’s small waterfalls and on the right side you can see parts of the small hydropower plant in St. Marienthal. Here, the ecosystem is preserved. Photographed by Kristina Vukelić.
Fig. 6: Three Gorges Dam-largest dam in world with capacity of 22 500 W.
Disadvantages of hydropower
We know that hydropower is a renewable source and it shouldn’t have any impact on pollution and on climate changes but:
· An environmental impact – changes of Earth’s surface;
· It displaces people;
- The process of building hydropower plant is expensive;
- There are limited reservoirs;
- There are droughts that have impact on properly work of hydropower plants and ecosystem;
- The evaporating methane from sunk biomass has an impact on the climate.
Problems with dams and their positioning
Hydropower plants are producing a lot of energy but we have big problems on positioning them to the right place. Basically, right now Balkan is facing a big problem with dams because people are building dams on rivers and they are basically killing rivers. Reports of “private” power plants are coming from Bosnia, Serbia, Autonomous Serbian region of Kosovo and Metohija, and Northern Macedonia.
Fig. 7: Map of illegal dams in Balkan
As of summer 2022, 3,281 hydropower plants (HPPs) are planned, 108 under construction and 1,726 are operational in the Balkans. Small-scale hydropower plants (SHPs) makeup by far the largest share: 92% of the planned projects have an installed capacity of less than 10 megawatts (MW).
1,689 HPPs (50%) are planned or constructed inside existing and planned protected areas, including 227 in national parks and 592 in Natura 2000 sites. But we have some good news that is coming from Bosnia. The government invented the law that suspended development of 110 SHPs.
This process took several months. People were united together and they started to sign many petitions to speed up the process of making the new laws for the conservation of small mountain rivers and biodiversity. Some of the biggest Bosnian natural beauties were endangered such as rainforest Perucica. There were some protests in smaller municipalities that led to verbal fights that somehow attracted the public. Also all those protests changed the way of our view on the small rivers and biodiversity.
To sum up the whole story we mentioned today, hydropower could be the best source of renewable energy but we need to keep our nature safe. Our rivers shouldn’t be destroyed by small private dams that are killing the potential of our environment.
So let`s gather up together and keep protecting our planet. We don’t have another home.
Written by Andrej Mirnić
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