What are the alternatives to hydroelectric dams?
Hydroelectric dams have consequences for the environment and local populations
Yet a whole range of alternatives to hydroelectric dams exist. None of them is the ultimate answer to our needs; it's their combination that needs to be considered.
Think about energy and power
We need to think about alternatives in terms of energy and power. L'energy refers to the total production capacity of an electrical installation, to the energy stored. Let's see it like a car's gas tank or the storage capacity of a tank regulated by the flow of a river.
According to many experts, the power refers to an instantaneous capacity to meet demand during critical periods, particularly during extreme cold when heating demand is high (called peak period). Let's see it like the power of a car engine, the number of turbines used. For hydroelectricity, power is often associated with the head or elevation difference for a river. Beyond reaching the famous 150 to 250 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy by 2050, this is the crux of the matter.
Energy saving
The best energy is that which is saved; this is what it refers to energy efficiency. To reduce our energy consumption, everyone has the power to be vigilant (what we call energy sobriety), but from a perspective of social justice, energy savings should absolutely be accompanied by strong public policies. For example, modernizing construction and renovation standards to move towards buildings with net zero energy consumption, subsidies to improve building insulation and encourage the installation of heat pumps, investing in public transport and in active mobility, etc.
Reducing energy consumption is what we advocate first and foremost the Dunsky Energy+Climate firm, which was mandated by the government of Quebec to equip it to establish strategies towards carbon neutrality in Quebec. The construction of new hydroelectric dams is not one of the options favored by this firm of experts.
Optimization of works
Let's also think about optimizing existing structures, both wind farms and dams. To this end, Radio-Canada estimates that the underuse of dams represents a potential of 1,000 megawatt (MW) lost. Hydro-Québec, for its part, believes that 2,000 MW of power can be added by 2035 by replacing generator turbines. In his 2035 plan, the state-owned company plans to add 3,800 to 4,200 MW of new hydroelectric capacity (power) and 6 to 10 TWh of energy from the optimization of its existing plants and the construction of new hydroelectric plants.
Solar and wind energy
In this respect, renewable energies such as solar and wind power have great potential in Quebec. Since they are intermittent energies (wind works when the wind blows, photovoltaics when the sun shines and the sky is clear), when combined with dams, they constitute excellent energy storage methods. In this way, Quebec could save around $3.2 billion a year, become carbon-neutral and ensure its energy self-sufficiency by combining wind and solar power with the storage capacities of Hydro-Québec's hydraulic reservoirs currently in operation.
We need to explain what a "green dam" or "sustainable reservoir" is. It's an optimized structure, using excess production capacity and coupled with renewable forms of energy to maintain optimal water levels.
Half of Hydro-Québec's plan to increase its power generation capacity by 2035 will come from wind power. 30 to 35 TWh (1500 to 1700 MW capacity). However, the current government does not intend to limit its ambitions. It wants to use this energy not only to reduce carbon emissions in communities, but also as an engine for industrial development in the province.
Their implementation must be done strategically considering the materials required for their manufacture (lithium, cobalt, graphite, etc.) and the space necessary to accommodate them: impact on bird populations and the landscape.
Traps to avoid
To succeed in decarbonization, all forms of fossil energy must obviously be avoided. The same goes for renewable natural gas, also called biomethane, which contains risks to health and the environment.
Due to the management of radioactive waste and the disastrous consequences that can occur during accidents, the Fondation Rivières does not advocate the return of nuclear power to Quebec.
Succeed in the energy transition without new dams
According to Hydro-Québec forecasts, Quebec must add 150 to 200 TWh of energy to its annual production by 2050. Three quarters will be used for decarbonization; the rest to economic growth. Currently, 94 % of 200 TWh produced annually are from hydroelectric sources.
The solution does not lie in building new hydroelectric dams. Their environmental and social impacts, better documented today than at the time of the construction of the large dams, are too significant. Alternatives exist, for the better of the population and natural spaces of Quebec.
Above all, fundamental questions must be addressed.
- What will our electricity be used for? Meet the needs of the population or serve to fuel industrial growth?
- What would Quebec be without its spaces crisscrossed by wild rivers?
- What do we want to leave to future generations?
Learn more about hydroelectric dams
Impacts of hydroelectric dams on the environment
More dams? We can do better!
Energy and hydroelectric dams
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