Why can't we make electricity with this?

Can someone tell me why we can't use this to generate electricity? There are many dams like this in the U.S. 800 ft across with a 4ft - 5 ft drop and it flows like this all the time. Check out the map I made showing this energy hot spot
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109168190...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Hydroelectric
• Locations
• in
• the
• U.S.

[jameson63926]

cut and dry, because theres still too much money to be made in traditional resources. why would any of the big energy companies come out there to build a low yield energy turbine on that 4 foot fall when its still purchasing ultra high yield energy in the form of oil or domestic coal and gas. I hate it too, but thats the sad truth of it.

[Teratornis]

In the greater Cincinnati area where I live, we have several dams that currently spill their water and waste a lot of power. One of the biggest: the Meldahl dam on the Ohio River creates a 90 mile long navigation pool. For decades it has dumped most of the flow of the Ohio River over a 30 foot drop. American Municipal Power-Ohio has a plan to install a 105 MW hydro plant on it. Finally.

On Wikipedia a bunch of volunteers are writing articles about all these dams. You should join.

[Kanglese]

Great point. There is waste all around us, once we open our eyes to it.

[JammerJawz]

Yes you could generate electricity with ANY moving body of water or wind. Of coarse if you are a fat oilma, why would you care about changing your formula of success by dabaling in alternative energy. I am sitting here in New Orleans and can see 250 to 300 train tanker cars just sitting on the tracks FULL of oil, they always sit like that when the price of oil is low. It is rediculouis.