Hydropower (or Hydroelectric Power) is generated by the gravitational force of falling or flowing water to create energy that can be captured and turned into electricity. The common type of hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. Most of the available locations for hydroelectric dams are already used in the developed world.
Related Definitions in the Project: The Renewable Energy; Hydropower (or Hydroelectric Power); Energy Definitions
Example Article of the Hydropower:
China Dominates Global Hydropower Generation (Source: Oil Price on 17 April 2024): By ZeroHedge - China is the world’s biggest hydro power producer, having generated an estimated 1,303 terawatt hours of hydropower in 2022, according to data published by Ember, a UK-based energy think tank. As Statista's Anna Fleck shows in the chart below, this equates to approximately 31 percent of global hydropower that year. Following some way behind comes Brazil (427 TWh), Canada (398 TWh), the United States (249 TWh) and Russia (198 TWh).When looking at hydropower’s share of total electricity production for each of these countries, then Norway comes first with a high 87.5 percent of its electricity energy mix having been accounted for by hydropower in 2022. Only Paraguay comes higher in terms of share of total electricity production, at 99.7 percent. If this chart were extended, it would feature in rank 15. ...
90,000 Dams In America: Just 2,500 Produce Hydropower (Source: Oil Price on 22 March 2022): By Alex Kimani - There will not likely be any progress towards net-zero climate goals without hydropower, which could fast become a favorite investment theme–even more so amid a Russian war on Ukraine that has sent oil prices to record highs, with a supply shock looming. But back in the United States, the massive potential of hydropower has been stymied by environmental contradictions. For decades, environmentalists and dam builders in the United States have been locked in a bitter battle. There’s no denying the fact that America’s 90,000 dams serve a very important purpose: they store water, provide renewable energy and prevent floods. In the U.S., hydropower currently accounts for 37% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 7% of total U.S. electricity generation; provides over 90 percent of America’s long-duration energy storage, and powers an estimated 30 million homes. ...
