This variation resulted in unexpected conditions since generally, the amounts of water enable low power production in around February with May to September being moments of high power production due to the conducive water availability. In 2011 alone, the 18.2 GW that TGP produces could not be attained, not even half of it (Makonnen, 2015). This is in huge contrast to 2010 which had 84.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity produced by the TGP alone. High temperatures and record low rainfall caused the middle and lower levels of Yangtze River to dwindle. This caused hydropower utilization to fall by a whole 55% affecting those sectors that are heavily dependent on it. The silicon manufacturing facilities, especially in Hunan, were suspended due to lack of electricity. To combat the situation, CNPCs Petro China supplied more diesel by 18.6% to the province of Hubei. While short term remedies such as increasing use of alternative sources of energy other than HEP such as thermal power is very viable in the short run, it might not be viable in the end especially noting that China is among the leading consumers of power in the world. Due to its vast potential in the production of HEP, China has seen another dam construction boom, which means that HEP is going to be a primary source of energy especially for the industrial sector by the year 2030. While the potential is high, the potential to climatic disruptions is also high. According to Harris (2010), China sits on a zone of convergence of zones making it very prone to extreme differences in weather in opposite directions, both excessive precipitation, and excessive droughts. The Wind and solar power are other viable options that might not be as affected by climatic changes as water reliant HEP. The solar energy is even more attractive with global temperatures increasing with increase in Greenhouse gasses (GHG) and the global warming that comes as a result.
This variation resulted in unexpected conditions since generally, the amounts of water enable low power production in around February with May to September being moments of high power production due to the conducive water availability. In 2011 alone, the 18.2 GW that TGP produces could not be attained, not even half of it (Makonnen, 2015). This is in huge contrast to 2010 which had 84.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity produced by the TGP alone. High temperatures and record low rainfall caused the middle and lower levels of Yangtze River to dwindle. This caused hydropower utilization to fall by a whole 55% affecting those sectors that are heavily dependent on it. The silicon manufacturing facilities, especially in Hunan, were suspended due to lack of electricity. To combat the situation, CNPCs Petro China supplied more diesel by 18.6% to the province of Hubei. While short term remedies such as increasing use of alternative sources of energy other than HEP such as thermal power is very viable in the short run, it might not be viable in the end especially noting that China is among the leading consumers of power in the world. Due to its vast potential in the production of HEP, China has seen another dam construction boom, which means that HEP is going to be a primary source of energy especially for the industrial sector by the year 2030. While the potential is high, the potential to climatic disruptions is also high. According to Harris (2010), China sits on a zone of convergence of zones making it very prone to extreme differences in weather in opposite directions, both excessive precipitation, and excessive droughts. The Wind and solar power are other viable options that might not be as affected by climatic changes as water reliant HEP. The solar energy is even more attractive with global temperatures increasing with increase in Greenhouse gasses (GHG) and the global warming that comes as a result.
Muruki%20J.R.%20Mugendi.docx