Jason Liu

Hydropower: The Renewable Energy Elephant in the Room

The problem with large hydro is that there are few economically feasible sites left, along with the environment damage damming can cause. As you also brought up, large hydro projects are mostly pursued by public utilities.

Small hydro is where most of the growth lies. Unlike its larger counterparts, there is minimal enviornmental impact and plenty of potential sites. Best of all, its easy to invest in as there are numerous publicly listed small hydro developers. Some of the Canadian examples include Run of River Power Inc. (TSXV: ROR), Plutonic Power Corp. (TSX:PCC) and Synex International (TSX:SYI).