Hydroelectric dams produce electricity proportional to the drop in height of the water. So having 5 dams that drop 10 ft would be the same as having 1 dam that drops 50ft (assuming your efficiency is the same). So it’s better to just build 1 large dam.
But if you build a 50ft high dam, then the water behind the dam rises 50ft and may flood existing infrastructure, or find another way around the dam (ex: flooding over to a second river). This is why lakes form behind large dams. So we can’t just build dams everywhere.
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