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this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2023
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This is blatantly untrue. Dams act like huge batteries that can be used to smoothen out the load if demand or supply drop.
It should be used in conjunction with other sustainable energy methods. Over production can be used to pump up water and if production of wind and solar drops (as they tend to). Water electricity can fill the gap.
Power grids are very complex and require great forethought and balancing options. If water energy cannot be used, nuclear is the best balancing power.
The dam still causes huge environmental damage though. We may not want to use dams like that.
For a dam which already exists, surely keeping it in use makes more sense than decommissioning it in favour of fossil fuels though?
We probably shouldn't be building any more, but unless our grid is already completely renewable, hydro stations are the last ones we should be taking offline.
For the time being, dams will have to exist. But eventually, there will come a time when we won't need nearly as many dams.