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Hydropower (from Ancient Greek ὑδρο-, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a water source to produce power. [1] Hydropower is a method of sustainable energy ...
Water is required for all life, but since ancient times, mankind has also employed this natural resource for other specifically human productive uses. Millennia ago man learned to navigate on water, learned to dam and divert it for irrigation and build aqueducts and canals to carry it where possible, and learned to convert the power of moving water to mechanical energy to perform work. [1]
[1] [2] [3] The scheme is owned and operated by the Reading Hydro CBS, a community benefit society that was founded in 2017, after some years of preparation. By 2018, planning permission had been granted and construction plans developed.
Hydroelectricity is, as of 2019, the second-largest renewable source of energy in both generation and nominal capacity (behind wind power) in the United States. [1] In 2021, hydroelectric power produced 31.5% of the total renewable electricity, and 6.3% of the total U.S. electricity. [2]
Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, [1] which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power. [2] Hydropower can provide large amounts of low-carbon electricity on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems. [ 2 ]
Small power plant of Licq-Athérey (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France). An 1895 hydroelectric plant near Telluride, Colorado.. Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale suitable for local community and industry, or to contribute to distributed generation in a regional electricity grid. [1]
According to the International Hydropower Association, Canada is the fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world in 2021 after the United States, Brazil, and China. [1] In 2019, Canada produced 632.2 TWh of electricity with 60% of energy coming from Hydroelectric and Tidal Energy Sources). [2]
In 2023, the electrical energy generation mix was 47% natural gas, 28.5% nuclear, 12.6% coal, 5.7% solar, 3.9% biomass, 2.1% hydroelectric, 0.1% petroleum, and 0.1% other. Distributed small-scale solar, including customer-owned photovoltaic panels, delivered an additional net 520 GWh to the state's electricity grid.