Hydroelectric power not always the right choice

Jeffrey M. Shear, North Las Vegas

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | 2:03 a.m.

In response to Stan Broselow’s Friday letter to the editor, headlined “It’s time to boost hydroelectric power”:

Although I agree that the United States should try to tap every available renewable energy resource, I believe that with the exception of a few unique areas, such as the Columbia River Gorge, the potential of hydroelectric energy, such as geothermal, will never be as great as wind, solar or natural gas, which can be used as a transportation fuel.

Even in the Pacific Northwest, hydroelectric power is not particularly cheap. When one factors in the finite life of dams and their effect upon certain fish populations, such as salmon that are on the verge of extinction, the cost of this energy source is high.

With hypothesized climate change that will likely lead to decreased mountain snowfall and snow packs, as well as markedly decreased interior rainfall, with the probable drying up of much of the Colorado River Basin by 2050-60, the long-term potential use of hydroelectric power in other parts of the western United States, particularly the desert Southwest, would seem impractical.