How Cities Can Use Green Hydro Energy
August 18, 2008 by admin
Filed under Green Energy
Could cities actually save money by going green? One company seems to think so. Hydro energy is the newest thing being tested to supply power to entire cities, and so far it looks to be far less expensive than the current electricity being generated by fossil fuels, with none of the harmful emissions or environmental hazards.
The only thing a city would need to utilize hydro energy is a source of running water and hydro turbine generators. Several sources could be used for inland cities, including manmade streams. Hydro energy is a constantly renewable, free source of energy, too. So far, it doesn’t cost anything to take advantage of natural running water sources.
Not only would hydro energy save cities a ton of money, it would save the residents of the city on their electric bills. This could have a significant impact on a city’s economy. If the residents are saving money on utility bills, they will be spending more with the local merchants. It’s a cycle that benefits everybody from residents to government to large and small businesses.
So why aren’t more cities using hydro energy? There are a few who have shown great interest in hydro energy sources for their city, Toronto and Ontario, Canada for example. But only long term plans for major US cities are just being discussed and not close to implementation.
Toronto has already implemented its first city renewable energy project using hydro energy of sorts. Toronto is using the cooler water from the depths of Lake Ontario as an energy source to run the air conditioning in 51 of the city’s office buildings. This project is effectively reducing carbon emissions by nearly 80,000 tons and reducing the energy consumption of air conditioning by 90%.
More large cities around the world should look into using hydro energy to reduce their electricity consumption, to save the cities money, to save money for the businesses and residents of the city, and to do their part in saving the planet. If everyone who is concerned about any of these issues would write a letter to their city officials, they will almost be forced to at least look into hydro energy and providing green energy resources for your city.
While Toronto appears to have some “greening” in place including waste reduction targets, green washing is still a dominant force in manipulating the consumer.
Toronto also has Wind Towers on the Lakefront, providing 3000 homes with power…but rumour says they are not actually attached to the grid. The province is still promoting Nuclear Power Generation as clean power and pushing to have several plants. Do we want another “3 Mile Island”? The radiation after the life of the nuclear plant could last for 500 years and the true impact has not been tested.
Mass generation and production of any product in mass is detrimental to sustainable development. Fortunately enough individuals and small organizations are putting things in place. Solar panels and green roofs are popping up everywhere in Toronto. There are several geothermal companies, yep in Toronto. Many grass route and municipal networks, both online and off are promoting “green projects, initiatives and ideas”, so the infrastructure is certainly starting.
We are in the infancy stage, like computers and the internet, the breakthroughs in the next decade will be incredible…looking forward to the real changes. It’s refreshing. A shame it wasn’t forced…natural change is much more enlightening.