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Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power.[3] Hydropower can provide large amounts of low-carbon electricity on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems.[3] A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and reservoir is a flexible source, since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, it produces no direct waste, and almost always emits considerably less greenhouse gas than fossil fuel-powered energy plants.[4] However, when constructed in lowland rainforest areas, where part of the forest is inundated, substantial amounts of greenhouse gases may be emitted.

The Three Gorges Dam in Central China is the world's largest power-producing facility of any kind.

2019 world electricity generation by source (total generation was 27 petawatt-hours)[1][2]

  Coal (37%)
  Natural gas (24%)
  Hydro (16%)
  Nuclear (10%)
  Wind (5%)
  Solar (3%)
  Other (5%)

Construction of a hydroelectric complex can have significant environmental impact, principally in loss of arable land and population displacement. They also disrupt the natural ecology of the river involved, affecting habitats and ecosystems, and siltation and erosion patterns. While dams can ameliorate the risks of flooding, dam failure can be catastrophic.

In 2021, global installed hydropower electrical capacity reached almost 1400 GW, the highest among all renewable energy technologies.[5] Hydroelectricity plays a leading role in countries like Brazil, Norway and China.[6] but there are geographical limits and environmental issues.[7] Tidal power can be used in coastal regions.

History

 
Museum Hydroelectric power plant ″Under the Town″ in Užice, Serbia, built in 1900.[8]

Hydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and perform other tasks. In the late 18th century hydraulic power provided the energy source needed for the start of the Industrial Revolution. In the mid-1770s, French engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor published Architecture Hydraulique, which described vertical- and horizontal-axis hydraulic machines, and in 1771 Richard Arkwright’s combination of water power, the water frame, and continuous production played a significant part in the development of the factory system, with modern employment practices.[9] In the 1840s the hydraulic power network was developed to generate and transmit hydro power to end users.

By the late 19th century, the electrical generator was developed and could now be coupled with hydraulics.[10] The growing demand arising from the Industrial Revolution would drive development as well.[11] In 1878, the world's first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland, England, by William Armstrong. It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery.[12] The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1, US, near Niagara Falls, began to produce electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts.[13] By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the United States and Canada; and by 1889 there were 200 in the United States alone.[10]

 
The Warwick Castle water-powered generator house, used for the generation of electricity for the castle from 1894 until 1940

At the beginning of the 20th century, many small hydroelectric power stations were being constructed by commercial companies in mountains near metropolitan areas. Grenoble, France held the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism, with over one million visitors 1925. By 1920, when 40% of the power produced in the United States was hydroelectric, the Federal Power Act was enacted into law. The Act created the Federal Power Commission to regulate hydroelectric power stations on federal land and water. As the power stations became larger, their associated dams developed additional purposes, including flood control, irrigation and navigation. Federal funding became necessary for large-scale development, and federally owned corporations, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (1933) and the Bonneville Power Administration (1937) were created.[11] Additionally, the Bureau of Reclamation which had begun a series of western US irrigation projects in the early 20th century, was now constructing large hydroelectric projects such as the 1928 Hoover Dam.[14] The United States Army Corps of Engineers was also involved in hydroelectric development, completing the Bonneville Dam in 1937 and being recognized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 as the premier federal flood control agency.[15]

Hydroelectric power stations continued to become larger throughout the 20th century. Hydropower was referred to as "white coal".[16] Hoover Dam's initial 1,345 MW power station was the world's largest hydroelectric power station in 1936; it was eclipsed by the 6,809 MW Grand Coulee Dam in 1942.[17] The Itaipu Dam opened in 1984 in South America as the largest, producing 14 GW, but was surpassed in 2008 by the Three Gorges Dam in China at 22.5 GW. Hydroelectricity would eventually supply some countries, including Norway, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paraguay and Brazil, with over 85% of their electricity.

Future potential

In 2021 the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that more efforts are needed to help limit climate change.[18] Some countries have highly developed their hydropower potential and have very little room for growth: Switzerland produces 88% of its potential and Mexico 80%.[19] In 2022, the IEA released a main-case forecast of 141 GW generated by hydropower over 2022-2027, which is slightly lower than deployment achieved from 2017-2022. Because environmental permitting and construction times are long, they estimate hydropower potential will remain limited, with only an additional 40 GW deemed possible in the accelerated case.[5]

Modernization of existing infrastructure

In 2021 the IEA said that major modernisation refurbishments are required. [3]: 67 

Generating methods

 
Cross-section of a conventional hydroelectric dam
 
Pumped-storage
 
Run-of-the-river
 
Tidal

Conventional (dams)

Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator. The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. A large pipe (the "penstock") delivers water from the reservoir to the turbine.[20]

Pumped-storage

This method produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low electrical demand, the excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir, thus providing demand side response.[3] When the demand becomes greater, water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine. In 2021 pumped-storage schemes provided almost 85% of the world's 190 GW of grid energy storage[3] and improve the daily capacity factor of the generation system. Pumped storage is not an energy source, and appears as a negative number in listings.[21]

Run-of-the-river

Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir capacity, so that only the water coming from upstream is available for generation at that moment, and any oversupply must pass unused. A constant supply of water from a lake or existing reservoir upstream is a significant advantage in choosing sites for run-of-the-river.[22]

Tide

A tidal power station makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean water due to tides; such sources are highly predictable, and if conditions permit construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable to generate power during high demand periods. Less common types of hydro schemes use water's kinetic energy or undammed sources such as undershot water wheels. Tidal power is viable in a relatively small number of locations around the world.[23]

Sizes, types and capacities of hydroelectric facilities

Large facilities

The largest power producers in the world are hydroelectric power stations, with some hydroelectric facilities capable of generating more than double the installed capacities of the current largest nuclear power stations.

Although no official definition exists for the capacity range of large hydroelectric power stations, facilities from over a few hundred megawatts are generally considered large hydroelectric facilities.

Currently, only seven facilities over 10 GW (10,000 MW) are in operation worldwide, see table below.[24]

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW)
1. Three Gorges Dam   China 30°49′15″N 111°00′08″E / 30.82083°N 111.00222°E / 30.82083; 111.00222 (Three Gorges Dam) 22,500
2. Baihetan Dam   China 27°13′23″N 102°54′11″E / 27.22306°N 102.90306°E / 27.22306; 102.90306 (Three Gorges Dam) 16,000
3. Itaipu Dam   Brazil
  Paraguay
25°24′31″S 54°35′21″W / 25.40861°S 54.58917°W / -25.40861; -54.58917 (Itaipu Dam) 14,000
4. Xiluodu Dam   China 28°15′35″N 103°38′58″E / 28.25972°N 103.64944°E / 28.25972; 103.64944 (Xiluodu Dam) 13,860
5. Belo Monte Dam   Brazil 03°06′57″S 51°47′45″W / 3.11583°S 51.79583°W / -3.11583; -51.79583 (Belo Monte Dam) 11,233
6. Guri Dam   Venezuela 07°45′59″N 62°59′57″W / 7.76639°N 62.99917°W / 7.76639; -62.99917 (Guri Dam) 10,235
7. Wudongde Dam   China 26°20′2″N 102°37′48″E / 26.33389°N 102.63000°E / 26.33389; 102.63000 (Three Gorges Dam) 10,200
 
Panoramic view of the Itaipu Dam, with the spillways (closed at the time of the photo) on the left. In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.[25]

Small

Small hydro is hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant. The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts (MW) is generally accepted as the upper limit. This may be stretched to 25 MW and 30 MW in Canada and the United States.[26][27]

 
A micro-hydro facility in Vietnam
 
Pico hydroelectricity in Mondulkiri, Cambodia

Small hydro stations may be connected to conventional electrical distribution networks as a source of low-cost renewable energy. Alternatively, small hydro projects may be built in isolated areas that would be uneconomic to serve from a grid, or in areas where there is no national electrical distribution network. Since small hydro projects usually have minimal reservoirs and civil construction work, they are seen as having a relatively low environmental impact compared to large hydro. This decreased environmental impact depends strongly on the balance between stream flow and power production.[citation needed]

Micro

Micro hydro means hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of power. These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks. There are many of these installations around the world, particularly in developing nations as they can provide an economical source of energy without purchase of fuel.[28] Micro hydro systems complement photovoltaic solar energy systems because in many areas water flow, and thus available hydro power, is highest in the winter when solar energy is at a minimum.

Pico

Pico hydro is hydroelectric power generation of under 5 kW. It is useful in small, remote communities that require only a small amount of electricity. For example, the 1.1 kW Intermediate Technology Development Group Pico Hydro Project in Kenya supplies 57 homes with very small electric loads (e.g., a couple of lights and a phone charger, or a small TV/radio).[29] Even smaller turbines of 200-300 W may power a few homes in a developing country with a drop of only 1 m (3 ft). A Pico-hydro setup is typically run-of-the-river, meaning that dams are not used, but rather pipes divert some of the flow, drop this down a gradient, and through the turbine before returning it to the stream.

Underground

An underground power station is generally used at large facilities and makes use of a large natural height difference between two waterways, such as a waterfall or mountain lake. A tunnel is constructed to take water from the high reservoir to the generating hall built in a cavern near the lowest point of the water tunnel and a horizontal tailrace taking water away to the lower outlet waterway.

 
Measurement of the tailrace and forebay rates at the Limestone Generating Station in Manitoba, Canada.

Calculating available power

A simple formula for approximating electric power production at a hydroelectric station is:

 

where

  •   is power (in watts)
  •   (eta) is the coefficient of efficiency (a unitless, scalar coefficient, ranging from 0 for completely inefficient to 1 for completely efficient).
  •   (rho) is the density of water (~1000 kg/m3)
  •   is the volumetric flow rate (in m3/s)
  •   is the mass flow rate (in kg/s)
  •   (Delta h) is the change in height (in meters)
  •   is acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2)

Efficiency is often higher (that is, closer to 1) with larger and more modern turbines. Annual electric energy production depends on the available water supply. In some installations, the water flow rate can vary by a factor of 10:1 over the course of a year.[citation needed]

Properties

Advantages

 
The Ffestiniog Power Station can generate 360 MW of electricity within 60 seconds of the demand arising.

Flexibility

Hydropower is a flexible source of electricity since stations can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands.[24] Hydro turbines have a start-up time of the order of a few minutes.[30] Although battery power is quicker its capacity is tiny compared to hydro.[3] It takes less than 10 minutes to bring most hydro units from cold start-up to full load; this is quicker than nuclear and almost all fossil fuel power.[31] Power generation can also be decreased quickly when there is a surplus power generation.[32] Hence the limited capacity of hydropower units is not generally used to produce base power except for vacating the flood pool or meeting downstream needs.[33] Instead, it can serve as backup for non-hydro generators.[32]

High value power

The major advantage of conventional hydroelectric dams with reservoirs is their ability to store water at low cost for dispatch later as high value clean electricity. In 2021 the IEA estimated that the "reservoirs of all existing conventional hydropower plants combined can store a total of 1 500 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electrical energy in one full cycle" which was "about 170 times more energy than the global fleet of pumped storage hydropower plants".[3] Battery storage capacity is not expected to overtake pumped storage during the 2020s.[3] When used as peak power to meet demand, hydroelectricity has a higher value than baseload power and a much higher value compared to intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar.

Hydroelectric stations have long economic lives, with some plants still in service after 50–100 years.[34] Operating labor cost is also usually low, as plants are automated and have few personnel on site during normal operation.

Where a dam serves multiple purposes, a hydroelectric station may be added with relatively low construction cost, providing a useful revenue stream to offset the costs of dam operation. It has been calculated that the sale of electricity from the Three Gorges Dam will cover the construction costs after 5 to 8 years of full generation.[35] However, some data shows that in most countries large hydropower dams will be too costly and take too long to build to deliver a positive risk adjusted return, unless appropriate risk management measures are put in place.[36]

Suitability for industrial applications

While many hydroelectric projects supply public electricity networks, some are created to serve specific industrial enterprises. Dedicated hydroelectric projects are often built to provide the substantial amounts of electricity needed for aluminium electrolytic plants, for example. The Grand Coulee Dam switched to support Alcoa aluminium in Bellingham, Washington, United States for American World War II airplanes before it was allowed to provide irrigation and power to citizens (in addition to aluminium power) after the war. In Suriname, the Brokopondo Reservoir was constructed to provide electricity for the Alcoa aluminium industry. New Zealand's Manapouri Power Station was constructed to supply electricity to the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point.

Reduced CO2 emissions

Since hydroelectric dams do not use fuel, power generation does not produce carbon dioxide. While carbon dioxide is initially produced during construction of the project, and some methane is given off annually by reservoirs, hydro has one of the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for electricity generation.[37] The low greenhouse gas impact of hydroelectricity is found especially in temperate climates. Greater greenhouse gas emission impacts are found in the tropical regions because the reservoirs of power stations in tropical regions produce a larger amount of methane than those in temperate areas.[38]

Like other non-fossil fuel sources, hydropower also has no emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, or other particulates.

Other uses of the reservoir

Reservoirs created by hydroelectric schemes often provide facilities for water sports, and become tourist attractions themselves. In some countries, aquaculture in reservoirs is common. Multi-use dams installed for irrigation support agriculture with a relatively constant water supply. Large hydro dams can control floods, which would otherwise affect people living downstream of the project.[39] Managing dams which are also used for other purposes, such as irrigation, is complicated.[3]

Disadvantages

In 2021 the IEA called for "robust sustainability standards for all hydropower development with streamlined rules and regulations".[3]

Ecosystem damage and loss of land

 
Merowe Dam in Sudan. Hydroelectric power stations that use dams submerge large areas of land due to the requirement of a reservoir. These changes to land color or albedo, alongside certain projects that concurrently submerge rainforests, can in these specific cases result in the global warming impact, or equivalent life-cycle greenhouse gases of hydroelectricity projects, to potentially exceed that of coal power stations.

Large reservoirs associated with traditional hydroelectric power stations result in submersion of extensive areas upstream of the dams, sometimes destroying biologically rich and productive lowland and riverine valley forests, marshland and grasslands. Damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems, and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife.[24] The loss of land is often exacerbated by habitat fragmentation of surrounding areas caused by the reservoir.[40]

Hydroelectric projects can be disruptive to surrounding aquatic ecosystems both upstream and downstream of the plant site. Generation of hydroelectric power changes the downstream river environment. Water exiting a turbine usually contains very little suspended sediment, which can lead to scouring of river beds and loss of riverbanks.[41] The turbines also will kill large portions of the fauna passing through, for instance 70% of the eel passing a turbine will perish immediately.[42] [43][44]Since turbine gates are often opened intermittently, rapid or even daily fluctuations in river flow are observed.[45]

Drought and water loss by evaporation

Drought and seasonal changes in rainfall can severely limit hydropower.[3] Water may also be lost by evaporation.[46]

Siltation and flow shortage

When water flows it has the ability to transport particles heavier than itself downstream. This has a negative effect on dams and subsequently their power stations, particularly those on rivers or within catchment areas with high siltation. Siltation can fill a reservoir and reduce its capacity to control floods along with causing additional horizontal pressure on the upstream portion of the dam. Eventually, some reservoirs can become full of sediment and useless or over-top during a flood and fail.[47][48]

Changes in the amount of river flow will correlate with the amount of energy produced by a dam. Lower river flows will reduce the amount of live storage in a reservoir therefore reducing the amount of water that can be used for hydroelectricity. The result of diminished river flow can be power shortages in areas that depend heavily on hydroelectric power. The risk of flow shortage may increase as a result of climate change.[49] One study from the Colorado River in the United States suggest that modest climate changes, such as an increase in temperature in 2 degree Celsius resulting in a 10% decline in precipitation, might reduce river run-off by up to 40%.[49] Brazil in particular is vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on hydroelectricity, as increasing temperatures, lower water flow and alterations in the rainfall regime, could reduce total energy production by 7% annually by the end of the century.[49]

Methane emissions (from reservoirs)

 
The Hoover Dam in the United States is a large conventional dammed-hydro facility, with an installed capacity of 2,080 MW.

Lower positive impacts are found in the tropical regions. In lowland rainforest areas, where inundation of a part of the forest is necessary, it has been noted that the reservoirs of power plants produce substantial amounts of methane.[50] This is due to plant material in flooded areas decaying in an anaerobic environment and forming methane, a greenhouse gas. According to the World Commission on Dams report,[51] where the reservoir is large compared to the generating capacity (less than 100 watts per square metre of surface area) and no clearing of the forests in the area was undertaken prior to impoundment of the reservoir, greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir may be higher than those of a conventional oil-fired thermal generation plant.[52]

In boreal reservoirs of Canada and Northern Europe, however, greenhouse gas emissions are typically only 2% to 8% of any kind of conventional fossil-fuel thermal generation. A new class of underwater logging operation that targets drowned forests can mitigate the effect of forest decay.[53]

Relocation

Another disadvantage of hydroelectric dams is the need to relocate the people living where the reservoirs are planned. In 2000, the World Commission on Dams estimated that dams had physically displaced 40-80 million people worldwide.[54]

Failure risks

Because large conventional dammed-hydro facilities hold back large volumes of water, a failure due to poor construction, natural disasters or sabotage can be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure.

During Typhoon Nina in 1975 Banqiao Dam in Southern China failed when more than a year's worth of rain fell within 24 hours (see 1975 Banqiao Dam failure). The resulting flood resulted in the deaths of 26,000 people, and another 145,000 from epidemics. Millions were left homeless.

The creation of a dam in a geologically inappropriate location may cause disasters such as 1963 disaster at Vajont Dam in Italy, where almost 2,000 people died.[55]

The Malpasset Dam failure in Fréjus on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur), southern France, collapsed on December 2, 1959, killing 423 people in the resulting flood.[56]

Smaller dams and micro hydro facilities create less risk, but can form continuing hazards even after being decommissioned. For example, the small earthen embankment Kelly Barnes Dam failed in 1977, twenty years after its power station was decommissioned, causing 39 deaths.[57]

Comparison and interactions with other methods of power generation

Hydroelectricity eliminates the flue gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, including pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, dust, and mercury in the coal. Hydroelectricity also avoids the hazards of coal mining and the indirect health effects of coal emissions. In 2021 the IEA said that government energy policy should "price in the value of the multiple public benefits provided by hydropower plants".[3]

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is relatively inflexible; although it can reduce its output reasonably quickly. Since the cost of nuclear power is dominated by its high infrastructure costs, the cost per unit energy goes up significantly with low production. Because of this, nuclear power is mostly used for baseload. By way of contrast, hydroelectricity can supply peak power at much lower cost. Hydroelectricity is thus often used to complement nuclear or other sources for load following. Country examples where they are paired in a close to 50/50 share include the electric grid in Switzerland, the Electricity sector in Sweden and to a lesser extent, Ukraine and the Electricity sector in Finland.

Wind power

Wind power goes through predictable variation by season, but is intermittent on a daily basis. Maximum wind generation has little relationship to peak daily electricity consumption, the wind may peak at night when power isn't needed or be still during the day when electrical demand is highest. Occasionally weather patterns can result in low wind for days or weeks at a time, a hydroelectric reservoir capable of storing weeks of output is useful to balance generation on the grid. Peak wind power can be offset by minimum hydropower and minimum wind can be offset with maximum hydropower. In this way the easily regulated character of hydroelectricity is used to compensate for the intermittent nature of wind power. Conversely, in some cases wind power can be used to spare water for later use in dry seasons.

An example of this is Norway's trading with Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.[58][59] Norway is 98% hydropower, while its flatland neighbors have wind power. In areas that do not have hydropower, pumped storage serves a similar role, but at a much higher cost and 20% lower efficiency.[citation needed]

World hydroelectric capacity

 
Share of electricity production from hydropower, 2021
 
Trends in the top five hydroelectricity-producing countries

The ranking of hydroelectric capacity is either by actual annual energy production or by installed capacity power rating. In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the worlds total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity.[60] In 2021, hydropower produced 4 200 TWh, more than half of total renewable generation for the year. Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China) generating 26% of global generation in 2021.[5] China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 721 terawatt-hours of production in 2010, representing around 17 percent of domestic electricity use. Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Austria, Switzerland, Venezuela and several other countries have a majority of the internal electric energy production from hydroelectric power. Paraguay produces 100% of its electricity from hydroelectric dams and exports 90% of its production to Brazil and to Argentina. Norway produces 96% of its electricity from hydroelectric sources.[61] Large plants tend to be built by governments, so most capacity (70%) is publicly owned, even though most plants (nearly 70%) are owned and operated by the private sector, as of 2021.[3]

A hydroelectric station rarely operates at its full power rating over a full year; the ratio between annual average power and installed capacity rating is the capacity factor. The installed capacity is the sum of all generator nameplate power ratings.[62]

Ten of the largest hydroelectric producers as at 2020[63]
Country Annual hydroelectric
production (TWh)
Installed
capacity (GW)
Capacity
factor
% of world's
production
% in domestic
electricity
generation
  China 1232 352 0.37 28.5% 17.2%
  Brazil 389 105 0.56 9.0% 64.7%
  Canada 386 81 0.59 8.9% 59.0%
  United States 317 103 0.42 7.3% 7.1%
  Russia 193 51 0.42 4.5% 17.3%
  India 151 49 0.43 3.5% 9.6%
  Norway 140 33 0.49 3.2% 95.0%
  Japan 88 50 0.37 2.0% 8.4%
  Vietnam 84 18 0.67 1.9% 34.9%
  France 71 26 0.46 1.6% 12.1%
Installed hydroelectricity power capacity (MW) [64]
# Country or territory 2020
1   China 370 160
2   Brazil 109 318
3   United States 103 058
4   Canada 81 058
5   Russia 51 811
6   India 50 680
7   Japan 50 016
8   Norway 33 003
9   Turkey 30 984
10   France 25 897
11   Italy 22 448
12   Spain 20 114
13   Vietnam 18 165
14   Venezuela 16 521
15   Sweden 16 479
16   Switzerland 15 571
17   Austria 15 147
18   Iran 13 233
19   Mexico 12 671
20   Colombia 12 611
21   Argentina 11 348
22   Germany 10 720
23   Pakistan 10 002
24   Paraguay 8 810
25   Australia 8 528
26   Laos 7 376
27   Portugal 7 262
28   Chile 6 934
29   Romania 6 684
30   South Korea 6 506
31   Ukraine 6 329
32   Malaysia 6 275
33   Indonesia 6 210
34   Peru 5 735
35   New Zealand 5 389
36   Tajikistan 5 273
37   Ecuador 5 098

Economics

The weighted average cost of capital is a major factor.[3]

See also

References

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External links

  • Hydroelectricity at Curlie
  • Hydropower Reform Coalition
  • Interactive demonstration on the effects of dams on rivers 2019-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  • IEC TC 4: Hydraulic turbines (International Electrotechnical Commission - Technical Committee 4) IEC TC 4 portal with access to scope, documents and TC 4 website 2015-04-27 at the Wayback Machine

hydroelectricity, this, article, needs, updated, reason, given, 2021, report, https, reports, hydropower, special, market, report, please, help, update, this, article, reflect, recent, events, newly, available, information, january, 2022, hydroelectric, power,. This article needs to be updated The reason given is IEA 2021 report https www iea org reports hydropower special market report Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information January 2022 Hydroelectricity or hydroelectric power is electricity generated from hydropower water power Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world s electricity almost 4500 TWh in 2020 which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power 3 Hydropower can provide large amounts of low carbon electricity on demand making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems 3 A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and reservoir is a flexible source since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed it produces no direct waste and almost always emits considerably less greenhouse gas than fossil fuel powered energy plants 4 However when constructed in lowland rainforest areas where part of the forest is inundated substantial amounts of greenhouse gases may be emitted The Three Gorges Dam in Central China is the world s largest power producing facility of any kind 2019 world electricity generation by source total generation was 27 petawatt hours 1 2 Coal 37 Natural gas 24 Hydro 16 Nuclear 10 Wind 5 Solar 3 Other 5 Construction of a hydroelectric complex can have significant environmental impact principally in loss of arable land and population displacement They also disrupt the natural ecology of the river involved affecting habitats and ecosystems and siltation and erosion patterns While dams can ameliorate the risks of flooding dam failure can be catastrophic In 2021 global installed hydropower electrical capacity reached almost 1400 GW the highest among all renewable energy technologies 5 Hydroelectricity plays a leading role in countries like Brazil Norway and China 6 but there are geographical limits and environmental issues 7 Tidal power can be used in coastal regions Contents 1 History 2 Future potential 2 1 Modernization of existing infrastructure 3 Generating methods 3 1 Conventional dams 3 2 Pumped storage 3 3 Run of the river 3 4 Tide 4 Sizes types and capacities of hydroelectric facilities 4 1 Large facilities 4 2 Small 4 3 Micro 4 4 Pico 4 5 Underground 4 6 Calculating available power 5 Properties 5 1 Advantages 5 1 1 Flexibility 5 1 2 High value power 5 1 3 Suitability for industrial applications 5 1 4 Reduced CO2 emissions 5 1 5 Other uses of the reservoir 5 2 Disadvantages 5 2 1 Ecosystem damage and loss of land 5 2 2 Drought and water loss by evaporation 5 2 3 Siltation and flow shortage 5 2 4 Methane emissions from reservoirs 5 2 5 Relocation 5 2 6 Failure risks 5 3 Comparison and interactions with other methods of power generation 5 3 1 Nuclear power 5 3 2 Wind power 6 World hydroelectric capacity 7 Economics 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistorySee also Hydropower History Museum Hydroelectric power plant Under the Town in Uzice Serbia built in 1900 8 Hydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and perform other tasks In the late 18th century hydraulic power provided the energy source needed for the start of the Industrial Revolution In the mid 1770s French engineer Bernard Forest de Belidor published Architecture Hydraulique which described vertical and horizontal axis hydraulic machines and in 1771 Richard Arkwright s combination of water power the water frame and continuous production played a significant part in the development of the factory system with modern employment practices 9 In the 1840s the hydraulic power network was developed to generate and transmit hydro power to end users By the late 19th century the electrical generator was developed and could now be coupled with hydraulics 10 The growing demand arising from the Industrial Revolution would drive development as well 11 In 1878 the world s first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland England by William Armstrong It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery 12 The old Schoelkopf Power Station No 1 US near Niagara Falls began to produce electricity in 1881 The first Edison hydroelectric power station the Vulcan Street Plant began operating September 30 1882 in Appleton Wisconsin with an output of about 12 5 kilowatts 13 By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the United States and Canada and by 1889 there were 200 in the United States alone 10 The Warwick Castle water powered generator house used for the generation of electricity for the castle from 1894 until 1940 At the beginning of the 20th century many small hydroelectric power stations were being constructed by commercial companies in mountains near metropolitan areas Grenoble France held the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism with over one million visitors 1925 By 1920 when 40 of the power produced in the United States was hydroelectric the Federal Power Act was enacted into law The Act created the Federal Power Commission to regulate hydroelectric power stations on federal land and water As the power stations became larger their associated dams developed additional purposes including flood control irrigation and navigation Federal funding became necessary for large scale development and federally owned corporations such as the Tennessee Valley Authority 1933 and the Bonneville Power Administration 1937 were created 11 Additionally the Bureau of Reclamation which had begun a series of western US irrigation projects in the early 20th century was now constructing large hydroelectric projects such as the 1928 Hoover Dam 14 The United States Army Corps of Engineers was also involved in hydroelectric development completing the Bonneville Dam in 1937 and being recognized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 as the premier federal flood control agency 15 Hydroelectric power stations continued to become larger throughout the 20th century Hydropower was referred to as white coal 16 Hoover Dam s initial 1 345 MW power station was the world s largest hydroelectric power station in 1936 it was eclipsed by the 6 809 MW Grand Coulee Dam in 1942 17 The Itaipu Dam opened in 1984 in South America as the largest producing 14 GW but was surpassed in 2008 by the Three Gorges Dam in China at 22 5 GW Hydroelectricity would eventually supply some countries including Norway Democratic Republic of the Congo Paraguay and Brazil with over 85 of their electricity Future potentialIn 2021 the International Energy Agency IEA said that more efforts are needed to help limit climate change 18 Some countries have highly developed their hydropower potential and have very little room for growth Switzerland produces 88 of its potential and Mexico 80 19 In 2022 the IEA released a main case forecast of 141 GW generated by hydropower over 2022 2027 which is slightly lower than deployment achieved from 2017 2022 Because environmental permitting and construction times are long they estimate hydropower potential will remain limited with only an additional 40 GW deemed possible in the accelerated case 5 Modernization of existing infrastructure In 2021 the IEA said that major modernisation refurbishments are required 3 67 Generating methods Cross section of a conventional hydroelectric dam Pumped storage Run of the river Tidal Conventional dams See also List of conventional hydroelectric power stations Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the difference in height between the source and the water s outflow This height difference is called the head A large pipe the penstock delivers water from the reservoir to the turbine 20 Pumped storage Main article Pumped storage hydroelectricity See also List of pumped storage hydroelectric power stations This method produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations At times of low electrical demand the excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir thus providing demand side response 3 When the demand becomes greater water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine In 2021 pumped storage schemes provided almost 85 of the world s 190 GW of grid energy storage 3 and improve the daily capacity factor of the generation system Pumped storage is not an energy source and appears as a negative number in listings 21 Run of the river Main article Run of the river hydroelectricity See also List of run of the river hydroelectric power stations Run of the river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir capacity so that only the water coming from upstream is available for generation at that moment and any oversupply must pass unused A constant supply of water from a lake or existing reservoir upstream is a significant advantage in choosing sites for run of the river 22 Tide Main article Tide power See also List of tidal power stations A tidal power station makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean water due to tides such sources are highly predictable and if conditions permit construction of reservoirs can also be dispatchable to generate power during high demand periods Less common types of hydro schemes use water s kinetic energy or undammed sources such as undershot water wheels Tidal power is viable in a relatively small number of locations around the world 23 Sizes types and capacities of hydroelectric facilitiesLarge facilities See also List of largest power stations and List of largest hydroelectric power stations The largest power producers in the world are hydroelectric power stations with some hydroelectric facilities capable of generating more than double the installed capacities of the current largest nuclear power stations Although no official definition exists for the capacity range of large hydroelectric power stations facilities from over a few hundred megawatts are generally considered large hydroelectric facilities Currently only seven facilities over 10 GW 10 000 MW are in operation worldwide see table below 24 Rank Station Country Location Capacity MW 1 Three Gorges Dam China 30 49 15 N 111 00 08 E 30 82083 N 111 00222 E 30 82083 111 00222 Three Gorges Dam 22 5002 Baihetan Dam China 27 13 23 N 102 54 11 E 27 22306 N 102 90306 E 27 22306 102 90306 Three Gorges Dam 16 0003 Itaipu Dam Brazil Paraguay 25 24 31 S 54 35 21 W 25 40861 S 54 58917 W 25 40861 54 58917 Itaipu Dam 14 0004 Xiluodu Dam China 28 15 35 N 103 38 58 E 28 25972 N 103 64944 E 28 25972 103 64944 Xiluodu Dam 13 8605 Belo Monte Dam Brazil 03 06 57 S 51 47 45 W 3 11583 S 51 79583 W 3 11583 51 79583 Belo Monte Dam 11 2336 Guri Dam Venezuela 07 45 59 N 62 59 57 W 7 76639 N 62 99917 W 7 76639 62 99917 Guri Dam 10 2357 Wudongde Dam China 26 20 2 N 102 37 48 E 26 33389 N 102 63000 E 26 33389 102 63000 Three Gorges Dam 10 200 Panoramic view of the Itaipu Dam with the spillways closed at the time of the photo on the left In 1994 the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World 25 Small Main article Small hydro Small hydro is hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts MW is generally accepted as the upper limit This may be stretched to 25 MW and 30 MW in Canada and the United States 26 27 A micro hydro facility in Vietnam Pico hydroelectricity in Mondulkiri Cambodia Small hydro stations may be connected to conventional electrical distribution networks as a source of low cost renewable energy Alternatively small hydro projects may be built in isolated areas that would be uneconomic to serve from a grid or in areas where there is no national electrical distribution network Since small hydro projects usually have minimal reservoirs and civil construction work they are seen as having a relatively low environmental impact compared to large hydro This decreased environmental impact depends strongly on the balance between stream flow and power production citation needed Micro Main article Micro hydro Micro hydro means hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of power These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community or are sometimes connected to electric power networks There are many of these installations around the world particularly in developing nations as they can provide an economical source of energy without purchase of fuel 28 Micro hydro systems complement photovoltaic solar energy systems because in many areas water flow and thus available hydro power is highest in the winter when solar energy is at a minimum Pico Main article Pico hydro Pico hydro is hydroelectric power generation of under 5 kW It is useful in small remote communities that require only a small amount of electricity For example the 1 1 kW Intermediate Technology Development Group Pico Hydro Project in Kenya supplies 57 homes with very small electric loads e g a couple of lights and a phone charger or a small TV radio 29 Even smaller turbines of 200 300 W may power a few homes in a developing country with a drop of only 1 m 3 ft A Pico hydro setup is typically run of the river meaning that dams are not used but rather pipes divert some of the flow drop this down a gradient and through the turbine before returning it to the stream Underground Main article Underground power stationAn underground power station is generally used at large facilities and makes use of a large natural height difference between two waterways such as a waterfall or mountain lake A tunnel is constructed to take water from the high reservoir to the generating hall built in a cavern near the lowest point of the water tunnel and a horizontal tailrace taking water away to the lower outlet waterway Measurement of the tailrace and forebay rates at the Limestone Generating Station in Manitoba Canada Calculating available power Main article Hydropower A simple formula for approximating electric power production at a hydroelectric station is P h m g D h h r V g D h displaystyle P eta dot m g Delta h eta rho dot V g Delta h where P displaystyle P is power in watts h displaystyle eta eta is the coefficient of efficiency a unitless scalar coefficient ranging from 0 for completely inefficient to 1 for completely efficient r displaystyle rho rho is the density of water 1000 kg m3 V displaystyle dot V is the volumetric flow rate in m3 s m displaystyle dot m is the mass flow rate in kg s D h displaystyle Delta h Delta h is the change in height in meters g displaystyle g is acceleration due to gravity 9 8 m s2 Efficiency is often higher that is closer to 1 with larger and more modern turbines Annual electric energy production depends on the available water supply In some installations the water flow rate can vary by a factor of 10 1 over the course of a year citation needed PropertiesAdvantages The Ffestiniog Power Station can generate 360 MW of electricity within 60 seconds of the demand arising Flexibility Hydropower is a flexible source of electricity since stations can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands 24 Hydro turbines have a start up time of the order of a few minutes 30 Although battery power is quicker its capacity is tiny compared to hydro 3 It takes less than 10 minutes to bring most hydro units from cold start up to full load this is quicker than nuclear and almost all fossil fuel power 31 Power generation can also be decreased quickly when there is a surplus power generation 32 Hence the limited capacity of hydropower units is not generally used to produce base power except for vacating the flood pool or meeting downstream needs 33 Instead it can serve as backup for non hydro generators 32 High value power The major advantage of conventional hydroelectric dams with reservoirs is their ability to store water at low cost for dispatch later as high value clean electricity In 2021 the IEA estimated that the reservoirs of all existing conventional hydropower plants combined can store a total of 1 500 terawatt hours TWh of electrical energy in one full cycle which was about 170 times more energy than the global fleet of pumped storage hydropower plants 3 Battery storage capacity is not expected to overtake pumped storage during the 2020s 3 When used as peak power to meet demand hydroelectricity has a higher value than baseload power and a much higher value compared to intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar Hydroelectric stations have long economic lives with some plants still in service after 50 100 years 34 Operating labor cost is also usually low as plants are automated and have few personnel on site during normal operation Where a dam serves multiple purposes a hydroelectric station may be added with relatively low construction cost providing a useful revenue stream to offset the costs of dam operation It has been calculated that the sale of electricity from the Three Gorges Dam will cover the construction costs after 5 to 8 years of full generation 35 However some data shows that in most countries large hydropower dams will be too costly and take too long to build to deliver a positive risk adjusted return unless appropriate risk management measures are put in place 36 Suitability for industrial applications While many hydroelectric projects supply public electricity networks some are created to serve specific industrial enterprises Dedicated hydroelectric projects are often built to provide the substantial amounts of electricity needed for aluminium electrolytic plants for example The Grand Coulee Dam switched to support Alcoa aluminium in Bellingham Washington United States for American World War II airplanes before it was allowed to provide irrigation and power to citizens in addition to aluminium power after the war In Suriname the Brokopondo Reservoir was constructed to provide electricity for the Alcoa aluminium industry New Zealand s Manapouri Power Station was constructed to supply electricity to the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point Reduced CO2 emissions Since hydroelectric dams do not use fuel power generation does not produce carbon dioxide While carbon dioxide is initially produced during construction of the project and some methane is given off annually by reservoirs hydro has one of the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for electricity generation 37 The low greenhouse gas impact of hydroelectricity is found especially in temperate climates Greater greenhouse gas emission impacts are found in the tropical regions because the reservoirs of power stations in tropical regions produce a larger amount of methane than those in temperate areas 38 Like other non fossil fuel sources hydropower also has no emissions of sulfur dioxide nitrogen oxides or other particulates Other uses of the reservoir Reservoirs created by hydroelectric schemes often provide facilities for water sports and become tourist attractions themselves In some countries aquaculture in reservoirs is common Multi use dams installed for irrigation support agriculture with a relatively constant water supply Large hydro dams can control floods which would otherwise affect people living downstream of the project 39 Managing dams which are also used for other purposes such as irrigation is complicated 3 Disadvantages See also Renewable energy debate Disadvantages of hydroelectricityIn 2021 the IEA called for robust sustainability standards for all hydropower development with streamlined rules and regulations 3 Ecosystem damage and loss of land Merowe Dam in Sudan Hydroelectric power stations that use dams submerge large areas of land due to the requirement of a reservoir These changes to land color or albedo alongside certain projects that concurrently submerge rainforests can in these specific cases result in the global warming impact or equivalent life cycle greenhouse gases of hydroelectricity projects to potentially exceed that of coal power stations Large reservoirs associated with traditional hydroelectric power stations result in submersion of extensive areas upstream of the dams sometimes destroying biologically rich and productive lowland and riverine valley forests marshland and grasslands Damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife 24 The loss of land is often exacerbated by habitat fragmentation of surrounding areas caused by the reservoir 40 Hydroelectric projects can be disruptive to surrounding aquatic ecosystems both upstream and downstream of the plant site Generation of hydroelectric power changes the downstream river environment Water exiting a turbine usually contains very little suspended sediment which can lead to scouring of river beds and loss of riverbanks 41 The turbines also will kill large portions of the fauna passing through for instance 70 of the eel passing a turbine will perish immediately 42 43 44 Since turbine gates are often opened intermittently rapid or even daily fluctuations in river flow are observed 45 Drought and water loss by evaporation Drought and seasonal changes in rainfall can severely limit hydropower 3 Water may also be lost by evaporation 46 Siltation and flow shortage When water flows it has the ability to transport particles heavier than itself downstream This has a negative effect on dams and subsequently their power stations particularly those on rivers or within catchment areas with high siltation Siltation can fill a reservoir and reduce its capacity to control floods along with causing additional horizontal pressure on the upstream portion of the dam Eventually some reservoirs can become full of sediment and useless or over top during a flood and fail 47 48 Changes in the amount of river flow will correlate with the amount of energy produced by a dam Lower river flows will reduce the amount of live storage in a reservoir therefore reducing the amount of water that can be used for hydroelectricity The result of diminished river flow can be power shortages in areas that depend heavily on hydroelectric power The risk of flow shortage may increase as a result of climate change 49 One study from the Colorado River in the United States suggest that modest climate changes such as an increase in temperature in 2 degree Celsius resulting in a 10 decline in precipitation might reduce river run off by up to 40 49 Brazil in particular is vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on hydroelectricity as increasing temperatures lower water flow and alterations in the rainfall regime could reduce total energy production by 7 annually by the end of the century 49 Methane emissions from reservoirs The Hoover Dam in the United States is a large conventional dammed hydro facility with an installed capacity of 2 080 MW See also Environmental impacts of reservoirs Lower positive impacts are found in the tropical regions In lowland rainforest areas where inundation of a part of the forest is necessary it has been noted that the reservoirs of power plants produce substantial amounts of methane 50 This is due to plant material in flooded areas decaying in an anaerobic environment and forming methane a greenhouse gas According to the World Commission on Dams report 51 where the reservoir is large compared to the generating capacity less than 100 watts per square metre of surface area and no clearing of the forests in the area was undertaken prior to impoundment of the reservoir greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir may be higher than those of a conventional oil fired thermal generation plant 52 In boreal reservoirs of Canada and Northern Europe however greenhouse gas emissions are typically only 2 to 8 of any kind of conventional fossil fuel thermal generation A new class of underwater logging operation that targets drowned forests can mitigate the effect of forest decay 53 Relocation Another disadvantage of hydroelectric dams is the need to relocate the people living where the reservoirs are planned In 2000 the World Commission on Dams estimated that dams had physically displaced 40 80 million people worldwide 54 Failure risks See also Dam failure and List of hydroelectric power station failures Because large conventional dammed hydro facilities hold back large volumes of water a failure due to poor construction natural disasters or sabotage can be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure During Typhoon Nina in 1975 Banqiao Dam in Southern China failed when more than a year s worth of rain fell within 24 hours see 1975 Banqiao Dam failure The resulting flood resulted in the deaths of 26 000 people and another 145 000 from epidemics Millions were left homeless The creation of a dam in a geologically inappropriate location may cause disasters such as 1963 disaster at Vajont Dam in Italy where almost 2 000 people died 55 The Malpasset Dam failure in Frejus on the French Riviera Cote d Azur southern France collapsed on December 2 1959 killing 423 people in the resulting flood 56 Smaller dams and micro hydro facilities create less risk but can form continuing hazards even after being decommissioned For example the small earthen embankment Kelly Barnes Dam failed in 1977 twenty years after its power station was decommissioned causing 39 deaths 57 Comparison and interactions with other methods of power generation This section needs to be updated The reason given is solar panels on reservoirs also Tasmania link Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information January 2022 Hydroelectricity eliminates the flue gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion including pollutants such as sulfur dioxide nitric oxide carbon monoxide dust and mercury in the coal Hydroelectricity also avoids the hazards of coal mining and the indirect health effects of coal emissions In 2021 the IEA said that government energy policy should price in the value of the multiple public benefits provided by hydropower plants 3 Nuclear power Nuclear power is relatively inflexible although it can reduce its output reasonably quickly Since the cost of nuclear power is dominated by its high infrastructure costs the cost per unit energy goes up significantly with low production Because of this nuclear power is mostly used for baseload By way of contrast hydroelectricity can supply peak power at much lower cost Hydroelectricity is thus often used to complement nuclear or other sources for load following Country examples where they are paired in a close to 50 50 share include the electric grid in Switzerland the Electricity sector in Sweden and to a lesser extent Ukraine and the Electricity sector in Finland Wind power Wind power goes through predictable variation by season but is intermittent on a daily basis Maximum wind generation has little relationship to peak daily electricity consumption the wind may peak at night when power isn t needed or be still during the day when electrical demand is highest Occasionally weather patterns can result in low wind for days or weeks at a time a hydroelectric reservoir capable of storing weeks of output is useful to balance generation on the grid Peak wind power can be offset by minimum hydropower and minimum wind can be offset with maximum hydropower In this way the easily regulated character of hydroelectricity is used to compensate for the intermittent nature of wind power Conversely in some cases wind power can be used to spare water for later use in dry seasons An example of this is Norway s trading with Sweden Denmark the Netherlands Germany and the UK 58 59 Norway is 98 hydropower while its flatland neighbors have wind power In areas that do not have hydropower pumped storage serves a similar role but at a much higher cost and 20 lower efficiency citation needed World hydroelectric capacity Share of electricity production from hydropower 2021 Trends in the top five hydroelectricity producing countries See also List of countries by renewable electricity production and Cost of electricity by source See also Category Hydroelectricity by countryThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information January 2022 The ranking of hydroelectric capacity is either by actual annual energy production or by installed capacity power rating In 2015 hydropower generated 16 6 of the worlds total electricity and 70 of all renewable electricity 60 In 2021 hydropower produced 4 200 TWh more than half of total renewable generation for the year Hydropower is produced in 150 countries with the Asia Pacific region excluding China generating 26 of global generation in 2021 5 China is the largest hydroelectricity producer with 721 terawatt hours of production in 2010 representing around 17 percent of domestic electricity use Brazil Canada New Zealand Norway Paraguay Austria Switzerland Venezuela and several other countries have a majority of the internal electric energy production from hydroelectric power Paraguay produces 100 of its electricity from hydroelectric dams and exports 90 of its production to Brazil and to Argentina Norway produces 96 of its electricity from hydroelectric sources 61 Large plants tend to be built by governments so most capacity 70 is publicly owned even though most plants nearly 70 are owned and operated by the private sector as of 2021 3 A hydroelectric station rarely operates at its full power rating over a full year the ratio between annual average power and installed capacity rating is the capacity factor The installed capacity is the sum of all generator nameplate power ratings 62 Ten of the largest hydroelectric producers as at 2020 63 Country Annual hydroelectricproduction TWh Installedcapacity GW Capacityfactor of world s production in domestic electricity generation China 1232 352 0 37 28 5 17 2 Brazil 389 105 0 56 9 0 64 7 Canada 386 81 0 59 8 9 59 0 United States 317 103 0 42 7 3 7 1 Russia 193 51 0 42 4 5 17 3 India 151 49 0 43 3 5 9 6 Norway 140 33 0 49 3 2 95 0 Japan 88 50 0 37 2 0 8 4 Vietnam 84 18 0 67 1 9 34 9 France 71 26 0 46 1 6 12 1 Installed hydroelectricity power capacity MW 64 Country or territory 20201 China 370 1602 Brazil 109 3183 United States 103 0584 Canada 81 0585 Russia 51 8116 India 50 6807 Japan 50 0168 Norway 33 0039 Turkey 30 98410 France 25 89711 Italy 22 44812 Spain 20 11413 Vietnam 18 16514 Venezuela 16 52115 Sweden 16 47916 Switzerland 15 57117 Austria 15 14718 Iran 13 23319 Mexico 12 67120 Colombia 12 61121 Argentina 11 34822 Germany 10 72023 Pakistan 10 00224 Paraguay 8 81025 Australia 8 52826 Laos 7 37627 Portugal 7 26228 Chile 6 93429 Romania 6 68430 South Korea 6 50631 Ukraine 6 32932 Malaysia 6 27533 Indonesia 6 21034 Peru 5 73535 New Zealand 5 38936 Tajikistan 5 27337 Ecuador 5 098EconomicsThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it January 2022 The weighted average cost of capital is a major factor 3 See also Renewable energy portal Energy portal Water portalEnergy transition Hydraulic engineering International Hydropower Association International Rivers List of energy storage power plants List of hydroelectric power station failures List of largest power stations List of renewable energy topics by country and territory Lists of hydroelectric power stations Marine current power electricity from sea currents National Hydropower Association US References Data amp Statistics International Energy Agency Retrieved 2021 11 25 World gross electricity production by source 2019 Charts Data amp Statistics International Energy Agency Retrieved 2021 11 25 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hydropower 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