How does a run-of-river hydro project differ from a traditional hydroelectric dam?
Most hydroelectric projects require the building of large dams on rivers, which are very expensive. When large dams are built, the flow of the dammed river is radically changed and large areas of land are flooded, including wildlife habitat and vegetation. Plutonic Power’s run-of-river hydroelectric projects cause minimal environmental impact because large dams are not built. A run-of-river project diverts only part of a river through a turbine without any flooding or need for reservoirs. Plutonic’s run-of-river projects are also built along streams which contain few or no fish. Therefore, the environmental impacts are very low compared to traditional hydroelectric dams.
