Hydroelectricity is one of the cleanest and most reliable sources of renewable energy. It is low cost to build and maintain, and does not produce greenhouse gases like most of our modern-day power stations.

 A hydroelectric dam should be built to provide electricity to the new provincial park.

I have come to this conclusion by considering the following points: the amount of energy needed, the cost to build and maintain, its impact on the environment, and the source’s reliability.

 Since electricity only needs to be provided for a couple of washrooms, the visitor’s center, and electrical outlets on the campground, only a small generating station is needed. Nuclear energy would require an extremely large and expensive generator which would produce a lot of unneeded power. Therefore, nuclear energy would prove inefficient.

 The cost of building a hydroelectric dam will be lower than building a fossil-fuel burning station. Hydroelectric dams also have a record of operating for much longer than fossil fuel power generators.

It would cost substantially less to maintain as it would not require fossil fuels to run, and would not be influenced by fluctuating gas prices.

In order to protect the environment, renewable energy sources are preferred over non-renewable because they will never run out and do not directly produce waste that could harm the environment.

Three major renewable sources are: wind, solar, and hydro.

The latter of these three sources, hydro, is the most reliable. Forecasts on wind speeds, wind directions, and sunny or cloudy days can never be 100% accurate. However, unless the area experiences a serious drought, energy from water can always be obtained by means of a hydroelectric power plant. Concerning an area to place the plant, the provincial park has many rivers and potential sites where the station may be built.

Judging the criteria the new power station must meet, a hydroelectric dam would be most effective considering energy demands, costs, environmental impact, and reliability.