If a hydroelectric plant is built on an ideal site, with abundant flowing water, the high cost of construction should eventually be offset by the facility's typically long life and low operating costs. However, there are only a few such ideal sites in the UK, and the majority are already being used to generate hydroelectricity. Due to the shortage of suitable sites, new large-scale hydroelectric projects are not currently considered economically attractive.
These are the affordability challenges facing hydro. Read about the possible solutions.
Find out more about hydro as a means of generating electricity.