Hydropower and Solar Power

Main Difference

Hydro-power and solar power are both the forms of renewable energy. While observing them keenly, pros and cons of them can be discussed. They are different from each other in terms of their benefits, advantages, and potential. Basically, both these are discussed in terms of their cost, environmental effects, and supply stability. Solar power stands out as the  conversion process associated with sunlight into electrical power, possibly straightaway making use of photovoltaic’s (PV), or not directly making use of concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems utilize lenses or perhaps mirrors and also monitoring methods to concentrate a substantial section of sunshine right into a tiny beam, whereas hydropower is the type of energy which is generated through the run of waters either making dams on a large scale or on a small run of river. Hydropower is produced by employing turbines in the run of the water to create electricity

Hydropower

Hydropower or sometimes also called as water power originated from the Greek word hydro means power is an energy based on the vitality of falling water or even speedy flowing water, which might be utilized for the purpose of beneficial functions. For thousands of years, hydropower coming from many different types associated with watermills has been utilized as being a alternative energy supply for the purpose of irrigation and also the function of numerous mechanical devices, for example gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, trip hammers, dock cranes, domestic lifts, as well as ore mills. Hydraulic power systems utilized pipes to transporting pressurized water and also transfer mechanized power from the source to finish consumers. The electricity resource had been commonly a head of water, that could additionally be helped with a pump. They are many types of hydropower, it could be conventional hydroelectric sources which are often referred to dams. It could be Run of the river hydroelectricity in which turbines are installed on the streams or rivers. Then there are small hydro reservoirs which can produce 10 megawatts or micro-hydropower which can produce up to few hundred kilowatts. Other types include Conduit hydroelectricity and Pumped-storage hydroelectricity. hydropower have normally positive environmental impacts.

Solar Power

As the Solar energy is the type of energy which is acquired directly from the sun. This type of energy is extremely important in contemporary scenario, as the world is a switch from convention energy sources to some new energy resources. This form of energy is of huge importance as the source is everlasting. The International Energy Company forecasted in two thousand and fourteen which below its “high renewable” scenario, by 2050, solar photovoltaic’s and concentrated solar power would likely bring about  Sixteen and 14 proportion, respectively, from the globally electrical energy consumption, and solar is definitely the earth’s biggest electrical source. The majority of photovoltaic setups could be in China and India. As they are biggest consumers of electricity Photovoltaic’s had been in the beginning exclusively utilized as a resource of electrical power pertaining to small-scale and medium-sized purposes, from your calculator run by just one solar cell to distant houses run by an off-grid roof PV technique. Since the price of photovoltaic electrical power has dropped, the sheer numbers of grid-connected solar PV models are continuing to grow directly into the hundreds of thousands and also utility-scale solar energy channels utilizing countless megawatts are now being constructed. Photovoltaic is without a doubt swiftly turning into a good affordable, low-carbon technological innovation to be able to utilize sustainable energy from the Sun. There are hybrid solar power systems or concentrated solar power systems

Key Differences

• Solar power requires maintenance whereas hydro-power is on a large scale but requires low maintenance to be taken care of.
• Solar power has simple installation whereas hydropower requires large installation.
• Solar powers sources are available for a single house to large scale whereas hydro power sources are for massive utilization of energy
• Solar power Can be operated unmonitored for extended periods of time whereas hydropower requires proper monitoring setup
• Solar power is Silent, unobtrusive operation whereas hydropower is opposite to this case
• Hydropower is not suitable to many locations but solar power is suitable in almost all situations where the sun shines directly
• Hydropower is the more reliable source of energy than solar energy
• Hydropower is the least expensive source as compared to solar power
• Solar Powers are famous for their mobility and flexibility while it’s not the case in hydropower systems.

Video Explanation