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Hydropower is a flexible source of electricity since stations can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands. [31] Hydro turbines have a start-up time of the order of a few minutes. [37] Although battery power is quicker its capacity is tiny compared to hydro. [2]
Hydroelectricity generation starts with converting either the potential energy of water that is present due to the site's elevation or the kinetic energy of moving water into electrical energy. [13] Hydroelectric power plants vary in terms of the way they harvest energy. One type involves a dam and a reservoir. The water in the reservoir is ...
The Report of the World Commission on Dams also includes in the "large" category, dams which are between 5 and 15 m (16 and 49 ft) high with a reservoir capacity of more than 3 million cubic metres (2,400 acre⋅ft). [45] Hydropower dams can be classified as either "high-head" (greater than 30 m in height) or "low-head" (less than 30 m in height).
The amount of hydroelectric power generated is strongly affected by changes in precipitation and surface runoff. [4] Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 US states. The largest concentration of hydroelectric generation in the US is in the Columbia River basin, which in 2012 was the source of 44% of the nation's hydroelectricity. [5]
[34] [page needed] At a dam in Brazil, where the flooded basin is wide and the biomass volume is high the methane produced results in a pollution potential 3.5 times more than an oil-fired power plant would be. [35] A theoretical study has indicated that globally hydroelectric reservoirs may emit 104 million metric tonnes of methane gas ...
Moreover, run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs, thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam. [12] That is a particular advantage in tropical countries, where methane generation can be a problem.
The largest dam removal project in U.S. history has freed the Klamath River, inspiring hope among Indigenous activists who pushed for rewilding to help save salmon. ... of four hydroelectric dams, ...
The major advantage of conventional hydroelectric dams with reservoirs is their ability to store potential power for later electrical production. The combination of a natural supply of energy and production on demand has made hydro power the largest source of renewable energy by far.