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Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). 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 (from Ancient Greek ὑδρο-, "water"), also known as water power, 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 production.
The Mingachevir Dam (Mingachevir Hydro Power Station) is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Kura River just north of Mingachevir in Azerbaijan.It serves several purposes, including hydroelectric power production and water storage for irrigation. [1]
The stored potential energy is later converted to electricity that is added to the power grid, even when the original energy source is not available. Electricity can be stored directly for a short time in capacitors, somewhat longer electrochemically in batteries , and much longer chemically (e.g. hydrogen), mechanically (e.g. pumped hydropower ...
However many run-of-the-river hydro power plants are micro hydro or pico hydro plants. Much hydropower is flexible, thus complementing wind and solar. [91] In 2021, the world renewable hydropower capacity was 1,360 GW. [73] Only a third of the world's estimated hydroelectric potential of 14,000 TWh/year has been developed.
This dam slows a normally fast and shallow river for partial diversion to a hydroelectric dam. The diversion tunnel opening can be seen in the upper left. The Imperial Dam diverting the Colorado River in the southwestern United States. A diversion dam is a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course.
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Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. A PSH system stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation.