There is need for diverting more investments into energy saving devices and popularising their use. But wastage of power is often high in the developed countries. Mr. Robert Goodland of the Environment Department of the World Bank suggests that most energy efficiency and conservation measures, including demand side management, should be substantially in place before new capacity comes on line. Mr. Goodland places energy efficiency and energy conservation on the top of the environmental ranking of new energy sources. Renewable and sustainable sources like solar and hydrogen, photovoltaics, wind, tidal and waves and biomass come next in the given order.
Nuclear energy is listed as the worst source.
Next comes coal, oil, gas and geothermal, in that order. Hydroelectricity is placed seventh in the list of 12. It is considered renewable and potentially sustainable. On resettlement, the economic condition of the oustee should be better than it was previously. As negative effects of hydroelectric projects are often proportional to the area submerged, the area submerged per MW of generation could be a good criteria for choice of a hydroelectric project.