eli5: the UK is an island but we tend to talk about solar and wind power, how come we don’t seem to push for hydro power?

Question

eli5: the UK is an island but we tend to talk about solar and wind power, how come we don’t seem to push for hydro power?

In: 5

Answer 1

Hydroelectric relies on the exitence of rivers with enough flow to be tapped. the nature of how it works also limits how many Dams you can have in any one river before the river’s flow is negatively impacted. this issue is doubled as says Dams also double as reservoirs.

tldR: there is a hard limit on how many hydroelectric plants any one river can sustain.

there is a such a thing as tidal hydroeletric plants but they need a set of conditions not all coastline has as the tech is still somewhat in its infancy.