Hydropower - a Faustian bargain

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while hydroelectric generation itself emits no greenhouse gases, dams and reservoirs emit significant amounts of methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide.

while hydroelectric dams are often touted for delivering clean drinking water, controlling floods and supporting irrigation, they also change river temperatures and water quality and impede the flow of nutrient-rich sediment. Such sediment is essential to help re-fertilise degraded soils in downstream plains, prevent the erosion of the river channel, and preserve biodiversity

disturbing the delicate balance between fresh water and salt water that is essential for the survival of critical species in coastal estuaries and lagoons.

Dams also carry high social costs. In 2007, then Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao revealed that China had relocated 22.9 million people to make way for water projects

As water levels in rivers and reservoirs drop - exacerbated by evaporation from open reservoirs - so will the water pressure needed to spin turbines, resulting in less electricity

For limitations of hydroelectric power....