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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 ]
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]
Despite the large difference in installed capacity between Three Gorges Dam and Itaipu Dam, they generate nearly equal amounts of electrical energy during the course of an entire year - Itaipu 103 TWh in 2016 [1] and Three Gorges 111.8 TWh in 2020, [2] because the Three Gorges experiences six months per year when there is very little water ...
The Hoover Dam in Arizona and Nevada was the first hydroelectric power station in the United States to have a capacity of at least 1,000 MW upon completion in 1936. Since then numerous other hydroelectric power stations have surpassed the 1,000 MW threshold, most often through the expansion of existing hydroelectric facilities.
The following page lists all pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations that are larger than 1,000 MW in installed generating capacity, which are currently operational or under construction. Those power stations that are smaller than 1,000 MW , and those that are decommissioned or only at a planning/proposal stage may be found in regional ...
Hydropower is now used principally for hydroelectric power generation, and is also applied as one half of an energy storage system known as pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Hydropower is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels as it does not directly produce carbon dioxide or other atmospheric pollutants and it provides a relatively ...
Those power stations that are smaller than 1,000 MW, or those that are only at a planning/proposal stage may be found in regional lists, listed at the end of the page. The largest hydroelectric power station is the Three Gorges Dam in China, rated at 22,500 MW in total installed capacity.
In 2023, the electrical energy generation mix was 56% natural gas, 32.3% nuclear, 5.8% solar, 3.5% biomass, 1.5% coal, 0.2% petroleum, 0.1% hydroelectric, 0.1% wind, and 0.5% other. [ 1 ] The Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 directs the construction of 16,100 MW of solar power and onshore wind and up to 5,200 MW of offshore wind by 2035 ...