Hydro power: not as clean as you think

Hydro power is not as green as you think. According to the Canadian Press, a new study shows that hydro power plants produce about 20 times more greenhouse gases than the government estimate. The study was based in Quebec and is part of a report released by the Global Forest Watch. Hydro power is still cleaner than power from fossil fuels but the study shows that the gap is narrower than expected.

Each hydro plant needs a reservoir. When it is built, the trees in the area are effectively drowned. As they decompose, they release greenhouse gases. The government’s calculations assume that the trees stop releasing gases after about ten years. But the new report says emissions extend far beyond that.

The study estimates that hydro power plants in Quebec emit from seven to thirteen megatonnes of greenhouse gases each year.