Kinetical Energy of River Running Water

Abstract

The inevitable increase of global energy consumption and the risk of a major environmental impact and climate change as a result of burning fossil fuels opens wide prospects for the exploitation of renewable energies. Hydropower, as a renewable energy source, will have an important role in the future. International research confirms that the emission of greenhouse gases (i.e. life cycle evaluation) is substantially lower in the case of hydropower compared to that generated by burning fossil fuels. From the economical point of view, the utilization of half of the feasible potential can reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by about 13%; also it can substantially reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide (main cause of acid rains) and nitrogen oxides.