The Legal-Political Barriers to Ramping up Hydro

Abstract:     
Hydroelectric energy is the oldest major source of non-carbon, renewable energy and is the only conventional renewable resource in the current energy mix. More importantly, hydroelectric energy is a relatively climate friendly, non-carbon source of energy. Thus, increased generation of blue-green energy would seem a logical component of any policy designed to help wean the United States from its growing dependence on politically unstable hydrocarbon sources and to help mitigate global climate change. For example, increased hydroelectric generation has been identified as a source of emission credits for coal CO2 emissions because hydro does not produce significant greenhouse gases.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Keywords: hydroelectric energy, renewable energy, non-carbon, blue-green energy, climate, CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases

JEL Classification: K32

Accepted Paper Series