Hydroelectric power: Is it economical?

We already know that hydroelectricity is one of the most widely-used renewable natural resources in North America.  And while there are a number of factors that make it popular, including the fact that it is renewable, one of the main reasons is that hydro is also economical.

Think about it.  Because it relies only on the power of moving water—and not some type of fuel—there are no price fluctuations to consider.

And while it’s expensive to build the infrastructure, hydroelectric projects have long lifetimes (on average 50-100 years) and are relatively easy to maintain.

>According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, hydropower is considered to be relatively inexpensive to operate – with generation costing between 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour.

At the end of the day, the many millions of consumers who get their electricity from hydro benefit from low electricity costs, making it an economical source of energy.

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