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| A village in Greenland |
Greenland is in Northern North America, and lies between the Arctic Ocean and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada. At a little more than 3 times the size of Texas, Greenland is
the world’s largest island of which about 81% is ice covered. Greenland consists of 2,166,086 sq
km, and of this 1,755,637 sq km is ice-covered, while 410,449 sq km are free of ice. The coastline
of Greenland is 44,087 km. The northern two thirds of Greenland are covered in permafrost.
While Greenland is the largest island in the world, with a population of 57,000 it is also the least
While Greenland is the largest island in the world, with a population of 57,000 it is also the least
densely populated country in the world.
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| Example of a diesel power plant |
Greenland also considered wind turbines as a potential source of renewable energy. However, due to a lack of prevailing westerly winds at mid-latitudes that, wind turbines rely on for maximum energy production, wind turbines proved not to be a viable option for Greenland. Greenland currently has 5 major hydroelectric power plants and is the dominant form of renewable energy for the country.
The first hydroelectric power plant in Greenland was built at Buksefjord in 1993 and produces electricity for both electric utility supply and heat for Greenland’s capital city of Nuuk. Most of the plant is buried 1,950 feet inside a mountain and has 8.5 miles of tunnels and 3 turbines that produce 45 MW of electricity.
The second hydroelectric power plant in Greenland was completed in 2005 at Tasiilaq and provides electric utility supply for the town. With an output of 1.2 MW, the plant provides electric utility supply, but does not have sufficient capacity to supply heat.
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| http://www.dtlhydro.com/TasiilaqTurgoTurbine.htm |
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| http://www.industcards.com/hydro-greenland.htm |
The fifth and most recent hydroelectric power plant in Greenland is at Paakitsoq, and became operational in 2013. This plant provides the town of Ilulissat with electricity for electric utility and heat and produces 22.3 MW of electricity.
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| Describes how this hydroelectric plant was built into the permafrost http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/b08ea3b92dc74ac8c1257aaf0047543c.aspx |
According to Palle Christiansen, Greenland's Minister of Finance, Greenland is not only helping the environment, but is also driving economic growth with the transition to hydroelectric power. He said that Greenland “saves money by reducing oil imports for the diesel generators. Hydropower provides cheaper energy for the government and consumers. Large infrastructure projects also create employment and keep the wheels of our economy turning." Meanwhile, Johan Ljungberg Head of Environment at Nordic Investment Bank said that “hydropower is the best possible solution from an environmental and sustainability point of view for supplying power to the municipalities of Greenland.” But, what is hydroelectric power and how does it work?
Hydroelectric power is energy derived from the flow of water that is converted into electricity. This occurs when moving water turns the blades of a turbine that is connected to an electromagnetic generator which produces electricity when the turbine spins.
There are three types of hydroelectric power plants, impoundment facilities, pumped storage facilities, and run-of-river facilities. Impoundment facilities rely on dams to create large reservoirs of water. Electricity is produced when water passes through turbines that are built within the dam. Pumped storage facilities work in a similar manner as impoundment facilities. The difference is that pumped storage facilities have a second reservoir of water that can be pumped up to the upper reservoir to store additional water for future energy use. The third type of hydroelectric power plant is called a run-of-river facility. A run-of-river facility relies on the natural flow of water from rivers to produce electricity. A portion of these naturally flowing waters are diverted to power the turbines that will produce electricity. However, because they rely on natural flowing water run-of-river facilities are not as reliable as impoundment facilities. For example, in a drought, a run-of-river facility’s ability to produce electricity may be impeded.
Here is a video that explains how a hydroelectric power plant works.
While hydroelectric plants provide clean energy without the carbon emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels, hydroelectric is not without its own environmental risk factors. Hydroelectric plants must be located along waterways and in most cases require damming to ensure a steady flow of water for the production of electricity. Damming can have major ecological impacts both upstream and downstream of the dam. For example, wild life might not be able to navigate along their natural paths and water flow downstream can be impeded affecting both wildlife and human communities. Additionally, failure of a dam can have major catastrophic consequences as was the case in 1975 when the Banqiao Dam in China failed claiming 171,000 lives.
Today hydroelectric power makes up about 6.7% of the worlds electricity production and is the most common form of renewable energy currently in use.
Related Links:
Related Links:
· http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?
http/www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2002/87-7972-295-4/html/kap04_eng.htm
http/www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2002/87-7972-295-4/html/kap04_eng.htm
· video of a
hydroelectric power plant: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0LEV06g1DVY.agAXG5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyaHZjYzhtBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjE4NzlfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=Hydroelectric+Power+In+Greenland&fr=mcafee#id=1&vid=2094ffdf6a59502fe406073c1772db9b&action=view
