Many people live far away from coasts and flood plains, worrying about how it would affect their investments and livelihoods. Regions known for its flooding trends can transform their reputation by capturing the heavy winds and rain. Then, it could turn into electricity for citizens. How do these geographies become hydroelectric havens instead of battered by water?
Utilizing Existing Water Infrastructure
Cities like Tokyo, Japan, and Cape Town, South Africa, are vulnerable to nature’s forces, yet they have water management systems to make the best of some of the flood. Infrastructure like levees and dams are starting points, and experts can retrofit them to include hydropower functionalities. This way, established systems can leverage the kinetic energy of a torrential downpour without demanding new fixtures.
Making stormwater management systems energy generators is another strategy. They can have turbines to convert into energy during floods, while assisting with flood control and preventing blackouts. One of the U.S.’s most immense financial promises to water infrastructure happened at the end of 2024. Around $849 million was given to 11 states to modernize, which included boosting hydropower generation and conservation. This governmental move highlights how interwoven water infrastructure is with potential renewable energy.
Installing Microhydropower Systems
Flood-prone zones may lack funds to build massive dams or ground complex ocean turbines. Microhydropower systems are an option for those with fewer resources but want to maximize the climate resiliency benefits they can gain during the next rainfall.
Microhydropower consists of several technologies with basic components. The first is a run-of-the-river system. A conveyor like a pipeline delivers the water to a rotational mechanism, like a wheel. This is connected to alternators, regulators and wires to help the main grid or a microgrid. These make even small water bodies contribute to the community’s energy independence.
Restoring Floodplains
Natural flood plains and wetland ecosystems are falling apart because of the climate crisis. Biodiversity is thinning and the site’s features that once helped manage flooding are weak. Giving strength back to these areas is critical to making flood-prone geographies withstand oncoming storms. These areas can also gracefully integrate hydropower reservoirs in a way that supports wildlife and empower the wetland.
Collaboration with Renewable Energy Initiatives
Transitioning to renewable energy is a major investment even at smaller scales. Communities must calculate the return on investment of committing to hydropower solutions over conventional flood management practices to immediate and long-term cost benefits.
For example, sandbag barriers cost $4-$6, and recommendations suggest 78 bags cover each linear foot. This expense adds up quickly, when it could go to a diverse renewable energy mix establishing greater climate resilience.
Flood-prone regions could justify the cost by incorporating hydropower installations and retrofits alongside other renewable energy initiatives, like encouraging citizens to participate in community solar. Additionally, cities could bank on tax benefits and incentives for become more resourceful and eco-friendly in its electricity usage.
Investing in Nature-Based Solutions
Concrete jungles like New York City can easily disappear behind a wall of water, even though Niagara Falls was a powerful inspiration for what dams could be. Letting rain run into storm drains is not enough. If the metropolis had more greenery to grip and absorb standing water, then it could more gracefully manage the flooding streets.
Regions merely need to find pockets of their communities to add more native plantlife. It can be small, unused alleyways converted into a wildlife sanctuary. The project may also be larger and encompass a community garden and greening of an abandoned parking lot into a park. The scope is endless and can take as many forms as the region has resources.
The most important aspect of these projects is prioritizing strong, local species. Then, they can establish robust root systems to hold as much water as possible while also supporting other climate objectives, like carbon sequestration or groundwater recharge. These efforts allow water in other parts of the city to go toward generation.
Recognizing Tidal, Current and Wave Energy
Coastal cities must understand they have one of the most untapped resources on the planet. Wave, current and tidal power can take numerous forms. The infrastructure can generate energy by the water’s natural movement patterns, whether a current or pushing and pulling tide.
It can also double as a security measure, protecting nearby wildlife and citizens by taming some of the ocean’s ferocity. A £10.9 billion project in Somerset is making its tidal lagoon a flood-prevention tactic and clean power powerhouse. It features a protective concrete wall and tidal turbines to establish peace of mind for communities nearby.
The Floods Find a Way
A geography’s greatest natural deterrent could be its most profound asset. All communities must do is invest in technology and infrastructure to endure storms and use its power for good. It could manifest as creating a new park or installing some wave power along the coastline. The energy mix is as creative as the city can get, which could establish it as a hydropower energy hub to model.
About the author: Jane works as an environmental and energy writer. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 