Hydroelectric is great… Apart from the existing entire ecosystem behind the dam that is destroyed to create the lake used to store the energy it then uses.
And that assumes a large enough body of water to pull energy from without depleting that source, especially with climate change shifting weather patterns. Many existing dams are operating at or near minimum levels because of ongoing drought conditions and similar issues.
In 2021, global installed hydropower electrical capacity reached almost 1,400 GW, the highest among all renewable energy technologies. source
If many are operating at minimum capacity, they’re still doing a lot. Not all hydroelectic are dammed type, tidal is picking up over time. However, I was merely refuting your not always on claim, not the rest of it. Nuclear is a good option too, when not operated by capitalists.
Everyone always brings up niche options that are highly dependent of the physical region like hydroelectric, tidal, thermal, etc. that massive portions of the country don’t have access to, as if they’re solutions to the base generation from coal and gas.
Hydroelectric is great… Apart from the existing entire ecosystem behind the dam that is destroyed to create the lake used to store the energy it then uses.
And that assumes a large enough body of water to pull energy from without depleting that source, especially with climate change shifting weather patterns. Many existing dams are operating at or near minimum levels because of ongoing drought conditions and similar issues.
If many are operating at minimum capacity, they’re still doing a lot. Not all hydroelectic are dammed type, tidal is picking up over time. However, I was merely refuting your not always on claim, not the rest of it. Nuclear is a good option too, when not operated by capitalists.
Everyone always brings up niche options that are highly dependent of the physical region like hydroelectric, tidal, thermal, etc. that massive portions of the country don’t have access to, as if they’re solutions to the base generation from coal and gas.
Coal usage increased by 1% in 2024, up to a total of 10,700 TWh of power globally.
https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2025/coal
Natural Gas produced 6,529 TWh as of 2022.
https://www.iea.org/energy-system/fossil-fuels/natural-gas#tracking
That’s the base generation that nuclear targets. 1,400GW (or 1.4TW) is a large number but with context, it’s a drop in the bucket.