Eco Factor: Hydroelectric plants will provide green electricity to two million Dutch homes.
Wind is one of the most loved sources of green electricity in our energy-dependent world. However, once the wind dies out you don’t have any alternative than to go back to grid electricity. While we have already heard about wind farms in Netherlands and other neighboring countries, a manmade island housing a hydroelectric power plant is being planned to serve as a backup to the already installed wind farms in Netherlands.
The island, which should be ready by the year 2020, will provide enough hydroelectric power to run two million homes. The island known as the “Energy-Island” is expected to be built in waters about 20 meters deep 15-20 miles off the Dutch coast. To hold down sea water, huge dykes will be constructed, which will pour water onto turbines dug 40 meters below sea level on these islands. The company behind this ingenious project – Kema — hopes that this €3-3.5 billion project will be able to generate about 1,500 MW of power and will help Netherlands to reach its renewable energy target and would also reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent.
The Dark Side:
Building a man-made island 20 miles off the coast will require scientists to dig up large volumes of sand from the sea bed, which will not only have its effect on the aquatic life of that area, but will also require huge amounts of energy.
Image Courtesy: GasDetection
Via: Times Online
